Sage under the moon
by Kittymui
Summary: COMPLETE Refusing to accept the Sage's prediction and be bound by fate, he decides to defy both of them. But he has yet to feel the repercussions of his crime. Alternate Universe, KagXSess pairing.
1. Prologue

**SAGE UNDER THE MOON  
**

-by Kittymui-

**Prologue**

Was it the end for the honorable dog demon family?

The same question had been haunting his mind over and over again the moment he entered the forest. He stopped walking when he reached higher ground, hoping to find a bit of pride left in overseeing the land they ruled over. But even the setting sun seemed to be laughing at him as it peeked from behind the mountains at the horizon.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He sighed inwardly at the interruption of the quietness and closed his eyes.

"Leave me."

The green servant approached him despite his order. "Forgive Jaken's impudence, Sesshoumaru-sama, but you should go back to the fortress.

"I'm twelve, old enough to defend myself. Now leave."

"But the lord will worry about you."

"No he won't," he replied angrily, slashing some silver hair over his shoulder.

"If the lord didn't care about you, he wouldn't have taken another mate. The lord didn't want you to be motherless after all," Jaken reasoned, which almost instantly earned him a cold glare from the young dog demon. "F-forgive me...!" he cringed.

"I'd rather be motherless than have a human as a surrogate," Sesshoumaru retorted. "He should have at least asked what I, his son, wanted."

_'When the time comes for you to take a mate, Sesshoumaru, you will understand that race would be no longer an issue to be considered.'_

He couldn't believe that these words were spoken by his father, the mighty lord of the Western Lands. He was the strongest dog demon in history and Sesshoumaru had always taken pride in being his son and only heir. He respected him and looked up to him, but he had never imagined that the one he worshipped would degrade himself by taking a human as a mate. It was a disgrace. Their family had practically become a joke amongst the demon kind.

Sesshoumaru breathed out calmly. But, not all was lost...not yet. He, the rightful heir to the Western Lands was a full blood. As soon as he reached the right age, he would definitely restore their family honor.

"...by taking a _full-blood _demoness as the lady of the West..." he mumbled under his breath. "I will never follow the disgraceful footsteps of my father."

"Uhm...Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He glanced sidelong at his short servant. "Speak."

His servant nodded. "Forgive me for interrupting, but I thought that Sesshoumaru-sama might be interested in knowing about his future mate..."

Sesshoumaru cocked an arrogant brow. _'About my future mate...? Ridiculous...as if someone could possible know that beforehand. Even father would not dare to pave my future...'_ he thought to himself. "I will choose my mate by myself," he snarled.

Jaken cringed again. "Eh yes of course...Sesshoumaru-sama...please forgive me..." Although he said that, some unspoken words still registered on his face.

"Go on," Sesshoumaru ordered impatiently.

"H-hai," the servant continued. "You see...there is this folklore among the humans..." His voice faltered a little as he stole a quick glance at the dog demon, who was still giving him an expectant look. "...the folklore's about a certain sage that governs all destiny between men and woman. They say if you're able to meet him, he will tell you about your future soul mate."

An awkward silence fell after he finished.

"A sage huh?" Sesshoumaru responded full of indifference. "There's no way this Sesshoumaru will be tempted to believe a mere human folklore." With that said, he turned around and started walking away.

"Wait for me Sesshoumaru-sama!" the servant hastily followed with his two-headed staff secured in his scrawny hands.

.-.-. that night .-.-.

By the time Sesshoumaru snapped back into reality, he already found himself walking over the moonlit forest floor. The forest was very quiet and unusually serene, as if all creatures had decided to sleep. A slightly confused expression registered on the dog demon's face as he scanned his surroundings.

He couldn't possibly be interested in the folklore, could he?

Sesshoumaru quickly shook off the thought. _'I'm simply patrolling in my father's stead...'_ he persuaded himself and nodded. _'Yes...for he no longer cares about the land he rules over...only about that wench of his...'_

After some walking, several strings of fog caught his attention and he halted himself. _'Fog...?'_ He narrowed his eyes in alert as he found no scent of water in the vicinity. Although he didn't move an inch, the mist gradually grew thicker by the second and eventually separated him from the surrounding flora.

Sesshoumaru instinctively jumped into a fighting stance at the unusual phenomenon. Much to his surprise, the mist began to dissipate as soon as it came, revealing an unfamiliar area.

Instead of earth, he felt stone underneath his feet, and when he looked around, he realized that the forest was gone. It was replaced by an empty open area surrounded by the dark sky.

In a distance, he suddenly noticed a giant tree, but for some strange reason, its leaves were glowing red while it should have been pale green.

Curious, yet wary, Sesshoumaru approached the peculiar tree, but stopped several feet away from it as he suddenly noticed a presence. _'How could I not have noticed it?'_ he scolded himself inwardly as he stood there and glanced at the individual.

From the posture and the long gray hair that was resting against a white robed back, he knew it was an old man. He was sitting on a small stone bench near the tree's trunk. From the way he was bent forward, Sesshoumaru assumed he was too entranced with something on the stone table before him to notice his nearness.

As his stoic face remained, Sesshoumaru made a turn around the table and stopped when he was facing the elder. _'This person doesn't smell like a human or demon...' _he thought to himself. The old man was holding a long feathery pen and gazing down at a book containing to Sesshoumaru unfamiliar characters.

"Why do you not try asking me, young demon?" the elder suddenly croaked without looking up.

Sesshoumaru's brows twitched. For a moment, he almost let himself believe that his thoughts were being read, but he quickly shook off the idea. "What are you doing here?" he said with a composed voice.

"Why do you care? Can you not see I am busy? Why not just let an old man like me continue his work quietly?"

"Not if you're on the property of the lord of the West," he argued.

The elder finally looked up at him. "Oh...well...have you noticed? I am working on no one's property," he smiled, creating an array of wrinkles around his eyes.

Startled by his answer, the young dog demon turned to look around him. A short glance toward the sky made him notice the unusual large size of the moon. Then he realized that they were actually standing on a giant canopy, floating in the dark starry sky.

He immediately turned back to the elder and growled. "What are you?"

"My my...such an anger in your voice," the old man coughed as he finally stood up from his seat. "And I thought you wanted to meet me yourself..."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his gold-amber eyes warily. "You are...the Sage...?" he mumbled.

"The one and only..." the Sage smiled, making a polite bow. "...Sage under the moon..."

"So you're the one said to govern all destinies between men and women huh?" Sesshoumaru allowed a slight amusement to form on his face. "So...if I tear you apart this very moment...chaos would befall every single living being bound by fate..."

The Sage folded his arms together as he hid his hands in his long sleeves. "I would like to see you try," he smirked with his gray eyes fixed on Sesshoumaru.

The dog demon's amusement perished under the Sage's gaze. Something in his eyes made Sesshoumaru wonder if there was more than just the wrinkled appearance.

"There is something you want to ask me, is it not?" the elder asked, gaining his attention again.

Sesshoumaru remained silent.

"Hm, even if you hold your tongue, I can already guess why you wanted to see me." As he said that, he reached out his hand and revealed his palm.

Sesshoumaru was surprised when a thin red thread suddenly appeared out of nowhere and landed on the Sage's hand. In a split second, one of the thread's end tied itself to the dog demon's ankle, while the other end flew to an unfamiliar direction. A moment later, the thread tensed, as if it had found and tied itself to something.

"The other end of this red string will be tied to the left ankle of your destined soul mate," the Sage predicted.

Annoyed at the word, Sesshoumaru brought a clawed hand down to the thread, only to realize that he couldn't feel or touch it.

"Do not worry," the elder explained. "The thread will automatically perish in a short while. If you really wish to know the identity of your future mate, you had better find the other end of the thread before it disappears."

"This Sesshoumaru will not be restricted by time or fate," growled Sesshoumaru displeased.

"Suit yourself, but your purpose here is done. You should take your leave now." That said, the Sage sat down on stone bench and picked up the feather pen again.

The young dog demon widened his eyes. "Insolence!"

"Call it whatever you may, but heed my warning young...foolish demon," he said haughtily. "Defy fate and you shall regret it..."

After he said that, a gush of wind caught Sesshoumaru off guard and forced him to close his eyes.

When his eyes reopened, he found himself standing in the forest again. _'Was it just an illusion...?'_ he thought, but his pondering ended when a faint red glimmer caught his attention. It was the red string. Though it was still tied to his ankle, it was starting to fade away into the darkness. Just as the Sage had predicted; time was running out.

Should he or should he not seek the other end of the string?

Cursing the torment that the question was giving him, Sesshoumaru ultimately gave up fighting it and began dashing through the forest, following the shimmering crimson trail.

-.-.-

After some quick running and leaping, he found himself facing a place he had expected the least. He had heard about these kind of places from his father's so-called comrades. It was a disgusting hostel, where demon or human could find...pleasure. Despite his complete rejection, Sesshoumaru gazed down in defeat at the faint thread that was pointing into the building.

He had already come this far, there's no way he could turn back now. _'Let's get this over with...'_ he sighed inwardly and entered quietly.

Being a master in hiding his presence and scent, Sesshoumaru successfully moved through the place without being noticed. Eventually, he arrived at a door at the end of one of the corridors. Without hesitation, he pushed it open, slipped inside and closed it behind him.

The crates and barrels that stood against the walls told him that it was a room for storage, but he couldn't help wondering why the thread had led him to this place. There were two elderly humans sleeping amidst the goods, but he need not look at the thread to make sure they weren't the ones he was looking for. His eyes followed the red string until it disappeared into a brown cloth that lay on the floor before him.

Sesshoumaru immediately noticed someone sleeping underneath it and froze. No matter how shameful it would be if his future mate were someone of this brothel; what he saw was infuriating beyond words.

There she was, oblivious to his presence. With the fading thread still attached to her left ankle, she continued sleeping. She was young, tiny, fragile and unmistakably...

_'...human...'_ he realized stupefied. This was ridiculous. A human is to become the mate of the pure-blooded Sesshoumaru? _'This Sesshoumaru would never...!'_ He thought as he reached out his clawed hand.

Just before his sharp claws reached her skin, she stirred. Her small sleepy eyes fluttered open, but the strange presence she felt before had already disappeared into the darkness, leaving nothing behind.

-.-.- back at the fortress -.-.-

"Are you sure, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru glanced sidelong at his green servant. "Are you questioning me?"

Jaken cringed and took a step backwards. "N-no, I wouldn't dare," he squealed submissively. "B-but I just...I never thought people of those places would devise such impudent scheme as an uprising against your father... S-should we not inform him about this?"

"No," he replied sternly. "I don't want to bother father with such trivial matter."

"I-I see..."

Sesshoumaru turned to his servant. "I don't care how, just make sure you've wiped out the entire place and everyone in it. Do I make myself clear?"

"H-hai!" Jaken nodded and bowed before excusing himself from the chamber.

A moment of silence ensued before Sesshoumaru walked towards the sliding doors leading to the inner garden. He calmly slid them open and gazed up at the full pale moon.

_'Sage...you will pay for mocking this Sesshoumaru...'_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Hey everyone! It's been a while! I can't believe I took a break of more than four months! I guess my muses were a bit too exhausted of my last story, but here I am again! To those who couldn't send me a signed review for my last story (which I couldn't or forgot to reply to), I thank you all for your support! I appreciate all your reviews! Now for my next story, those who know the Chinese translation of the story title (not literally) might know what it's going to be about. To those who haven't got a clue (yet), this story is based on a Chinese myth/fairytale I heard about when I was little. I've decided to use a Sess/Kag pairing this time, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do writing it! I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I can't promise anything since I'm still having some trouble with my muses. 

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: **

-.-

Sesshoumaru, who refused to be restricted by fate, seems to have defied it after all. Fifteen years have passed when the next chapter begins, and Sesshoumaru will have to select the future lady of the West. Will the Sage remain quiet about his crime?

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

**-sama: **honorific suffix you add to someone's name whom you respect very much  
**hai:** yes

-.-.-.-

Posted: 3 June 2006  
Last Edited: 3 June 2006  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	2. The day he angered Fate

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The day he angered Fate**

Under the gaze of the moon, the brothel was leveled to the ground in one night time. And by his clawed hand, Sesshoumaru personally made sure nobody was left behind to tell the tale. That is, except for his loyal servant.

Frankly, had the annoying servant not served their family for centuries, he would've disposed of him a long time ago.

Nevertheless, this was the least of the things bothering the young dog demon. After the massacre, he had wanted to meet the Sage again to prove to him that he could forge his future with his own hands. And of course, to make him pay for insulting him.

But no matter how many times he sought, he was never able to find the old man again.

Years went by and eventually, the Sage as well as the brothel incident became forgotten...or was it?

-.-.-

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The dog demon snapped out of it and glanced aside, only to find his green servant standing near him.

"It is time, Sesshoumaru-sama. They're waiting in the courtyard for you."

"Tell them I'll be there in a moment," he ordered.

"Hai."

Sesshoumaru silently watched his servant excuse himself from the room. He had been waiting fifteen years for this day to come and now it was finally time. Today was the day that he's going to choose his mate. To him, it was rather trivial as he knew he was capable of ruling over the West alone, but he had no other choice. To inherit his father's place as the lord, he had to select a demoness to be the lady of the West.

Truth was, he rejected the absurd idea of having a woman ruling alongside himself. And of course, a proud demon like himself would never allow that to happen. Once he had given his mate her title, he would seclude her from everything related to governing the Western Lands and make sure that refusal wouldn't be an option.

His mate would unconditionally devote her entire life to him and bear him a healthy heir of pure blood.

Yes, everything was within his grasp and he would not tolerate any deviance. With his mind set, the dog demon finally left his room for the courtyard.

-.-.-

"Ah, there you are," InuTaisho spoke when he saw his son stepping out of the mansion.

Finding no need to dress up for the occasion, Sesshoumaru remained in his usual attire. Like a warrior, he was equipped in dark armor protecting his torso and upper legs. A thin piece of spiked armor looped around his left shoulder as his furry white tail hung over his right shoulder. A long sash of deep yellow and purple secured a sheathed sword close to his waist. Beneath the armor, he wore a white hakama and haori of which the right shoulder and sleeves were embellished with red edges.

His gold-amber eyes met his father's as he stopped before him. Was it pride that he saw in them?

"About time you showed up, _brother_."

Sesshoumaru shot a glare at the one who spoke. Displeasure registered in his eyes as they met the familiar pair of gold-amber in the face of his half-breed brother. And behind him stood the wench who seduced his father, soiled their family name and gave birth to the half-breed. Both of them were dressed in red today. The mother was dressed in a grand kimono made of red silk while her son wore the fire-rat's robe their father gave him.

"Be silent Inuyasha, today is a very important day for your brother," Izayoi told her son.

A smirk formed on the hanyou's lips as he turned to his mother. "Keh! I'm just relieved I don't have to choose my mate among these...nobles."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his brother. _'Foolish brother of mine, you have yet to realize your unfortunate fate of being feared by humans for your demon blood and rejected by demons for your human blood for the rest of your pitiful life...'_ he thought to himself as he shifted his gaze to the right.

But as soon as his eyes fell on the group of candidates that stood there, he painfully realized he had to agree with his moronic brother. Their appearance of the majority were far below his expectations and he almost instantly decided that it would only be a waste of time to inspect them individually.

Not sparing them another glance, he simply turned and started walking toward the mansion again.

His silent departure was brutally interrupted when a voice pierced out of the lamenting crowd.

"If I knew the future lord of the West would be this ill-mannered, I would never have come. Let us leave. Staying here would probably just stain our grace."

"B-but milady!"

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes at the insolence and quickly turned around again, only to realize that one of the nobles had turned to leave. Without warning, he summoned his poisonous whip and sent it flying towards her.

He was surprised when the demoness caught the green whip with her bare hand.

"You disappoint me Sesshoumaru-sama. I didn't think you would be that cowardly to attack a defenseless woman from behind," she laughed as she turned to him.

Sesshoumaru frowned at the woman who dared to insult him. She had long dark hair reaching beyond her waist while two beaded group of flowers adorned each side of her head. Her small rosy lips were forming a grin as her blue-gray eyes emitted arrogance and disdain. Her dark purple kimono, which matched the colors of her hair decorations, was held together by a light purple sash around her waist.

"Kaguya is my name," she introduced herself rudely.

Without saying anything, Sesshoumaru dismissed his whip and gazed at her indifferently. Just when he thought that she might possess the quality he demanded, another individual caught his attention as well.

She was standing right next to the demoness. He knew she was staring at him, but as soon as he met her chestnut eyes, she looked down and hid her eyes behind her bangs. Like most servants, her simple light green kimono, was nothing compared to the attire of her mistress and she didn't have those expensive accessories in her hair. But unlike any other servant, she possessed features, which he found rather 'pleasant to the eye'.

However, it didn't take too long before he realized he was mentally praising a human and he quickly shook off the frightful thoughts. Even so, he swore he saw something strange in her eyes during the seconds their gazes met. Although he couldn't explain what emotion he saw in them, the intensity of it was unusual. Those were not the eyes of a servant.

So he thought as he turned to the demoness again.

"It seems that you have made up your mind, haven't you Sesshoumaru?" the voice of InuTaisho broke the silence as he walked over to Kaguya.

A puzzled look registered on the demoness' face. "Are you sure InuTaisho-sama?" she asked while her gaze reciprocated between the father and son. "Sesshoumaru-sama hasn't said anything yet."

"I saw the way he looked at you, my dear Kaguya," the lord smiled. "You are welcome to stay in my fortress to acquaint yourself with my son before the official betrothal, but that is if you still consider yourself a candidate."

Kaguya suddenly dropped all of her dignity and bowed down politely. "How could I possible refuse such an honorable offer from the great lord of the West," she said meekly while ignoring the hateful glares coming from the other candidates. "I just hope I'm still worthy of such an offer after saying those blasphemous words. Please do forgive me."

"You were not at fault, dear Kaguya. There is no need to ask for forgiveness," InuTaisho reassured her kindly.

"Thank you so much, InuTaisho-sama," the demoness responded relieved. "But I do have a small favor to ask though..."

"Which is?"

Kaguya gestured for her servant to step forward. "I wish for my servant to accompany me during my stay at your fortress."

"Well, I do not see anything wrong with you bringing along one of your loyal servants," said InuTaisho and turned to Sesshoumaru. "Do you have any objections, my son?"

Not giving an answer, the dog demon simply turned his back to them and walked away. But not before he stole another quick glance at the demoness and her human servant.

After Sesshoumaru disappeared into the mansion, InuTaisho turned to the remaining candidates. "Now that my son has made a choice, I shall have to kindly ask you to leave for now," he told the nobles. "I thank you for coming today."

"Don't say that InuTaisho-sama. It was truly an honor to be invited by the lord of the West," one of them replied. "I bid you good day."

With that said, the group bowed and left for the gates.

"Pfew, that was boring," yawned Inuyasha as he stretched himself. "I'm heading back inside."

The hanyou left without any salutations and earned a deep sigh from the demon lord. "I apologize for both of my son's behaviors. I'll be sure to scold them later on," he apologized to Kaguya, who smiled in response.

"It's okay InuTaisho-sama. Don't worry about it."

"Will you be staying for dinner tonight?"

This time, it was Izayoi who spoke.

The demoness didn't look at her directly as she replied. "Thank you for your kind offer, but I have to go back and prepare myself first. If InuTaisho-sama doesn't mind, can I come back tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is," said the demon lord.

"Then I shall bid you good day," Kaguya bowed politely and turned to her servant. "Let us go, Kagome."

"Hai, Kaguya-sama."

InuTaisho and Izayoi watched them disappear behind the gates before heading into the direction of the mansion.

Izayoi noticed the troubled look on her husband's face as they walked side by side and turned to him. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

The demon lord didn't answer at first but just before they reached the mansion, he paused in his steps and faced her. "I'm...worried about my son's choice..." he replied slightly disturbed. "Even though she seemed well-mannered, I can tell that she was only acting."

He placed his hands on his mate's shoulders. "She had no intention of showing any respect towards you and by that, I know she would show no mercy to the human kind once she becomes the lady of the West."

"But she seems to care for her servant despite that she's human, does she not?" Izayoi reasoned. "Perhaps you are worrying too much..."

"I hope you are right," InuTaisho sighed.

Izayoi placed her hands over his. Her eyes were filled with understanding as she gazed up at her mate. "If you are hesitant in approving this betrothal, why didn't you just send her away earlier?"

She saw his gold-amber eyes harden as he replied. "Sesshoumaru has taken interest in her, that is something I cannot deny. Since he has already reached maturity, I have to respect his decision."

"Can't you tell him what you think about Kaguya?" she insisted.

The demon lord shook his head. "Even if I tried to warn him , there is little chance he would listen to me. I'm afraid my son no longer respects me that much." He looked down at Izayoi and gave her a reassuring look. "Do not misunderstand me, I am by no means saying that you are responsible. I am only saying that I can only hope my son can let go of his hatred toward the human kind and look beyond his blind ambition to maintain a pure bloodline."

Izayoi's lips curled into a sad smile as she averted her eyes. "I'm sorry...I wish...I could bear some of your burden."

"You already have, my dearest Izayoi..." smiled InuTaisho as he embraced her. "...ever since the day you accepted me and married me."

"You're too kind..." she responded as she placed her head against his chest.

A short moment went by before he gently pulled away. "Let us head back inside," suggested the dog demon while securing her hand in his clawed one.

And the two of them went back into the mansion again.

-.- that night -.-

"It seems that you have been wanting to see me..."

Sesshoumaru's eyes shot open and darted around. He was shocked to see that he was no longer inside the fortress. Instead, he found himself sitting on a cold hard floor and leaning against an old tree below a large pale moon.

A closer look at his environment made him realize it was the place he had been wanting to locate for the past fifteen years.

As he looked aside, he found the white-robed elder sitting on his stone bench with his back to the same tree.

Sesshoumaru quickly stood up and approached him.

"And? What was it that you wanted to see me for? I suppose you're not planning to ask me about your destined mate again, because my answer for you will always be the same," the Sage said as he tossed a glance over his shoulder to him.

The dog demon scowled at his haughty tone and walked to the other side of the stone table the old man was working on. "This Sesshoumaru will be bound by fate nor destiny. I will forge my own future with my own two hands."

"Is that so?" he retorted with the same tone.

For a second, those words managed to create a slight ripple in his determination, but Sesshoumaru shook it off again and growled. "Stop your high and mighty act, old man. You no longer have the power to influence this Sesshoumaru's fate."

"And my reply to you remains the same..." the Sage said without averted his gray eyes from his gold-amber ones. "Do you really think that way...?"

Sesshoumaru was just about to slam his fist on the white table when he suddenly noticed something different in the elder's voice. He narrowed his eyes at the old man before him and widened then as he realized the change in his posture.

The Sage stood up from his bench and as he did so, his facial features gradually became younger and more feminine. As the wrinkles disappeared, the long gray locks changed into curly white ones and the loose robe automatically adapted itself to the new curves of its owner's body.

No words could describe the confusion that was filling Sesshoumaru's mind as he witnessed the metamorphosis of the old man into an elegant young woman.

"What's the matter?" she grinned. "You didn't think Sages could be this young and gorgeous? Or perhaps you thought all Sages should be men?" She gazed down at her new form and smoothed out the remaining irregularities in her garment. "Personally, I'd prefer this form, but if you want, I can make myself a bit older, which would correspond to the 'old fool' you referred to earlier."

Sesshoumaru was unable to respond to her taunting. He had desired and expected to see an aghast look on the Sage's face after confessing his successful attempt to defy Fate. But at the end, he realized he had made a fool out of himself. To think that he had been ridiculed by a woman...twice! It was excruciating.

Not wanting to be mocked any longer, he turned away to leave.

"Aw...leaving already?" the Sage pouted. "I thought you wanted to see my reaction to your efforts to defy me."

This made Sesshoumaru halt his step, but he had no intention of facing her again.

"I know what you did...Sesshoumaru, even if you don't tell me," she continued. "And to be honest with you, I am quite displeased with how you 'handled' your fate. Did you really think you could get away that easily after what you did? You really disappoint me...I thought you'd know better."

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed red for a second and without warning, he set off with his feet and lunged toward the woman with his poison claws first.

To his surprise, his attack hit nothing but air as his target disappeared right before his eyes.

"You've got a lot of nerve to attack the mighty Sage," her voice sounded from behind him.

Sesshoumaru turned around to her. Although he showed no emotions on the outside, he actually felt intimidated as he gazed at the person before him.

The edges of her gray eyes were now glowing white and they were glaring daggers at him. Her expression darkened as she spoke. "You will regret defying me. You have disobeyed the laws of Fate and committed a serious crime. Therefore, you shall be punished. You will not be forgiven until you have deemed yourself worthy of my mercy."

The Sage raised her hand and reached out to him.

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes when he felt a massive force landing on his chest and dropped his gaze to her hand. He was stupefied to see that the Sage had only touched him with her forefinger.

He was even more shocked when he couldn't feel the floor anymore as he toppled backwards. A short glance over his shoulder made him realize that he was about to fall off of the giant canopy. _'How is that possible? The wench was standing there just a while ago!' _he thought frustrated.

Fortunately, his demon reflexes allowed one of his clawed hands to grab the stone ledge. _'I won't fall that easily!'_ he growled inwardly as he quickly grabbed the ledge with his other hand.

"You're a proud demon, aren't you? Never allowing yourself to go down, although you know you could easily survive the fall."

Sesshoumaru scowled and bared his fangs at the woman towering above him.

Her dark and cold expression remained as she knelt down to him. "Here, let me put you out of your misery," she said and pointed her finger at the dark crescent moon mark on his forehead.

Before he could even sense her nail on his skin, he was already blown away from the canopy and sent flying into the dark sky.

-.-.-

Sweat drops were all over Sesshoumaru's face as he opened his eyes.

He blinked several times and looked around him. _'I fell asleep?'_ he wondered as he found himself sitting against one of his room's walls. He wiped his face with a clawed hand and looked at the wet palm. _'Was it a dream?'_

His eyes narrowed as he dropped the thought and clenched his fist in anger. _'Dream or no dream. It doesn't matter.'_ he decided inwardly. _'This Sesshoumaru will not play by the rules of that wench.'_

-.- the next morning -.-

"Good morning, InuTaisho-sama."

"Ah good morning Kaguya," greeted the demon lord as he stepped aside to let her in the mansion.

Just when Kaguya was about to enter with her servant, an annoyed voice halted them. "Say, aren't you forgetting something?"

All the eyes fell on Inuyasha, who stood behind InuTaisho with his mother. Impatience was all over his features as he glared at the demoness.

Much to everyone's surprise, the uncomfortable silence was broken by Kaguya's servant.

"Good morning to you too, Izayoi-sama and Inuyasha-sama," she said as she bowed politely to the two.

The surprise on Kaguya's face made way for a smile as she bowed too. "Ah how impolite of me. Good morning."

Inuyasha wasn't sure whether he was the only one who saw it, but there was a flash of anger in Kaguya's eyes before her bangs covered them. _'Poor servant... she probably doesn't even know what's awaiting her...'_ he sympathized mentally, which was soon followed by a shrug. _'Oh well, not that it's any of my business...'_

He watched as both of them entered and suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway. When he followed their lines of vision, he saw Sesshoumaru walking towards them from the opposite direction.

Inuyasha frowned when he saw something unusual in his brother's eyes. They were emitting a hint of anger besides the usual indifference, but also something else as they focused on the demoness.

"Ah good morning Sesshoumaru-sama," Kaguya greeted meekly as she and her servant bowed to him. "From this day on, I will be staying here for a while. I sincerely hope we can get along with each other in the meantime."

Inuyasha scowled at her sudden submissive attitude. The way she smiled nauseated him. He could barely believe that his brother would choose such an annoying woman as his fiancée.

But he was even more stupefied at what happened next.

His brother suddenly pulled the demoness into his arms and planted a rough kiss on her lips. Several seconds later, he pulled away and released her from his embrace.

Ignoring the shock written on everybody's faces including Kaguya's, the dog demon simply turned around and walked away.

The silence that sustained until he disappeared was broken as InuTaisho spoke. "Well Kaguya, it seems that my son has made a definite choice. If you have no further objections, I shall officially approve this betrothal. I shall inform the rest of the fortress and the Western Lands about this tomorrow morning."

Hearing his father's words, Inuyasha wondered whether it was disappointment or plain formality that he sensed in his voice.

His thoughts were cut off when he heard Kaguya's voice. "I have no objections. Thank you very much, InuTaisho-sama... and Izayoi-sama. I am honored to be accepted as your daughter-in-law."

The hanyou wasn't too happy about the pause before she called his mother's name, but quickly hid his emotions when the demoness walked closer to him. His furry white ears flattened when she suddenly patted his head.

"It seems that we are going to be family really soon," she teased him.

"Don't bet on it!" snapped the hanyou and slapped away her hand.

"Inuyasha!" Izayoi scolded her son and turned to Kaguya. "Please forgive him. He's still young and-"

"It's okay. I've always wanted a feisty young brother," she grinned without sparing her a glance.

"You must be tired of your long journey," the demon lord interrupted. "I'll have a servant lead you to your room so that you can rest."

"Thank you. I shall take my leave for now," the demoness bowed and walked past them with her servant following behind.

InuTaisho let out a heavy sigh as he watched them leave. _'Sesshoumaru...I hope you will realize what you have invited into our fortress...'_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Here I am again! I hope you have enjoyed this second installment! Please let me know what you think of it okay? Thanks! I know it sounds a bit cliché but I'll try to update as soon as possible! 

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The day of reminiscence**

-.-

Kaguya has secured her position inside the fortress, but her servant seems to have her reasons for being there as well. Inuyasha's going to be a nice guy in the next chapter and Sesshoumaru will be our bad guy. Please look forward to it!

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

**-sama**: honorific suffix you add to someone's name whom you respect very much  
**hai**: yes  
**hanyou**: half-demon  
**haori**: traditional Japanese garment for the upper body for men  
**hakama**: traditional Japanese garment for the lower body for men

-.-.-.-

Posted: 15 June 2006  
Last Edited: 15 June 2006  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	3. The day of reminiscence

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The day of reminiscence**

As soon as she arrived at the room reserved for her, Kaguya stretched out and let herself fall on a soft white pillow on the floor. "My day just couldn't be better!" she sighed happily as she turned to her servant, who was closing the sliding doors behind them. "Right Kagome?"

Kagome turned to her mistress. "What? Oh! Why yes of course Kaguya-sama."

"Geez Kagome, you can drop the formality when there's only the two of us. I've told you so many times already!" pouted the demoness. She patted on the floor next to her pillow. "Come sit here next to me."

Obediently, Kagome did as she was told and sat down.

"Did you see what Sesshoumaru-sama did to me? Gosh, I didn't know he was this straightforward!" Her mistress blushed as she continued. "And everybody's saying that the oldest son of InuTaisho is an ice cold mystery."

"It must be your charm," Kagome commended. "With it, you might be able to melt away his cold pretense in no time."

Kaguya's eyes sparkled as she turned to her. "Yes! You're right! You're absolutely right! I _can_ be quite charming, can't I?" she laughed. But her laughter fell as soon as it came. "But that brother of his. I really can't stand him! What was his name again?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "You mean Inuyasha-sama?"

"Yes, that's him! That insolent brat! How dare he speak to me that way," the demoness snarled angrily. "He must have gotten his manners from that human wench of his...that half-blooded-"

"Now now Kaguya. There's no need to be so angry about it," Kagome calmed her. "Like Izayoi-sama said, he's still young and-"

"I don't recall asking for your opinion Kagome," her mistress cut her off with a sidelong glance. "You aren't siding with them now, are you?"

"O-of course not! I just-" she stammered.

"You're just a servant, Kagome. Don't forget that," Kaguya continued as she brought a hand to Kagome's upper arm.

Without warning, the demoness suddenly caught her flesh between her thumb and forefinger and pinched her really hard, causing Kagome to wince in pain. "S-stop that Kaguya, y-you're hurting me!" she cried.

After another hard pinch Kaguya finally let go of her and stood up. "On second thought, I think I prefer you calling me properly."

Kagome pushed back some tears and lowered her head to the floor into a begging position. "P-please forgive my impudence, Kaguya-sama," she pleaded.

"Well, I'm glad you still remember whom you owe your life to," her mistress grinned as she brought her hand to her nose. "Aw, look what you've done to me. My hands are now reeking of your disgusting scent. Sesshoumaru-sama will definitely not like that. Be a good girl and get me some water to wash my hands with, won't you?"

"Yes, milady," Kagome replied meekly and quickly excused herself from the room.

As soon as she closed the doors and entered the hallway, a sad expression registered on her face. _'Stupid Kagome, you just had to anger her, didn't you?'_ a voice in her head scolded her. _'I bet she was punishing you for embarrassing her earlier! How many times do I have to tell you! Outsmart her and you'll suffer the consequences!_'

She let out a sigh as she treaded over the wooden floor. Her conscience was right. Every time she did something wrong, Kaguya would act all friendly at first and then vent her anger on her when she expected it the least. After rolling up her light green sleeve, she found a dark blueish-brown blot on the spot where Kaguya had pinched her.

_'Well, I'm glad you still remember whom you owe your life to...'_

How long has it been since? Kagome remembered so clearly how battered she was when they found her. Kaguya's father was very kind to her and accepted her into their household without asking about her past. Although he was a demon, he cared for her like his own daughter. To Kagome, who had recently lost her family back then, it was just like a dream come true.

But like all dreams, it didn't last very long. Two years later, the lord passed away due to an unknown illness and Kaguya, who was the only one left of the family, rightfully inherited everything. Not even granted a moment to mourn, Kagome was immediately made a servant, assigned to Kaguya by none other than the demoness herself.

From that moment on, Kaguya changed her dream into a nightmare. A nightmare that had lasted for the past thirteen years. But despite that, she had not even once thought of giving up.

Kagome's thoughts crashed abruptly when she suddenly bumped against a soft back with her face.

She took a quick step backwards. "I-I'm so sorry!" she apologized and bowed deeply. When the person in front of her remained silent, she slowly straightened up again. _'Bare feet...silver-white hair...'_ she described inwardly as her eyes traveled upwards and stopped when they met the cutest fluffy dog ears she had ever seen. _'K-kawaii...'_ she thought to herself.

"What do you think you're looking at?"

It didn't take long before Kagome realized she was staring and she quickly dropped her gaze to the floor again. "I-Inuyasha-sama!" she gasped embarrassed. "F-forgive me! I just..." She bit her lower lip. _'What am I going to tell him? That I was staring because I thought his ears were cute?'_

"It must be tough huh?"

_'Eh..?'_ Kagome lifted her face and gave the hanyou a puzzled look. Following his line of vision, she realized he was looking at her left arm and she immediately remembered her rolled-up sleeve. "N-not at all!" she said as she hastily pulled it down.

"You don't have to put up your façade in front of me. It's not like I would tell that mistress of yours," he told her.

His words sounded reassuring, but Kagome quickly shook it off. _'I can't trust a demon's words that easily...' _

"Excuse me Inuyasha-sama. My mistress told me to get some water. Good day," she bowed and walked past him.

_'Yes, demons are not to be trusted...'_ she reminded herself again. _'They always look down upon us humans...treating us like lowlifes...'_ Kaguya's father and those at the brothel who offered them a place to sleep were and would always be the only exceptions.

She halted her step when she arrived at an inner garden located at the center of the mansion. It was a well-attended rectangular garden filled with a rich diversity of flowers and a small pond. And at its center stood an old stone well that caught her attention as soon as she stepped into the piece of nature. Next to the well on the ground stood two small wooden buckets, of which one was attached to a pole with a thick rope.

_'I guess this will do...'_ she thought to herself as she took out a thin rope and tied back her sleeves. She picked up the bucket and threw it into the deep well.

SPLASH

A moment later, she finished filling the second bucket with water. _'Pfew...'_ she panted as she wiped her face. _'I wish my tasks were a bit less exhausting...'_

"What are you doing?"

The voice startled Kagome and she quickly turned around. She froze when she realized how tall the person was before her and craned her neck to meet his face.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said horrified, recognizing the silver-haired dog demon. "I-I was just drawing some water from the well for my m-"

Before she could finish explaining, the demon rudely pushed her aside and approached the well.

With widened eyes, Kagome witnessed how Sesshoumaru single-handedly returned the water from the bucket to the depthless well and threw the bucket to the grass with a thump.

"W-what are you d-" Kagome gasped, but was cut off when he grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her with him.

"Wait! Where are you taking me!" she said while trying to prevent herself from tripping.

Regardless of her attempts to escape his firm grasp, he eventually brought her to an unfamiliar room not very far away from the garden. With a rough jerk, he forced her to stand face to face with a large barrel in the corner.

It took Kagome a moment to realize she was looking at a very large water reservoir and she raised her brows in surprise. _'...EHH?'_

Without saying anything, the dog demon got hold of her wrist again and jerked back into the hallway.

.-.-.

Kaguya was surprised when her doors flew open, revealing an extremely annoyed Sesshoumaru and her servant standing right next to him. "Sesshoumaru-sama! What a surprise! What brings you here?"

She hastily walked towards him and bowed deeply. "I haven't had the chance to freshen myself up yet. Please forgive my improper appearance," she apologized.

"Your looks are none of my concern," Sesshoumaru simply stated and pushed Kagome into the room. "Keep an eye on your servant. Do not ever let her approach the sacred garden again." That said, he turned and left.

Kagome widened her eyes. _'S-sacred garden?'_ She quickly turned to her mistress, who was calmly closing the doors. "Kaguya-sama, please believe me! I didn't know that was a sacred garden!" she explained to her. "If I knew, I would never-"

"It's alright Kagome," Kaguya hushed her. "I know you would never dare to break any rules. You're not that brave."

Instinctively, Kagome took a small step backwards. She knew, despite her mistress' seemingly forgiving tone, it was just the eye of the storm.

And as expected, Kaguya's face darkened before her. "But you know..." she began sadly. "He...Sesshoumaru-sama...said that he didn't care about my looks. That really upset me." As she said that, she reached out her hand and ran it through Kagome's raven locks. "I know he would never say such harsh words if you hadn't angered him."

Without warning, she tightened her grip around her hair and gave it a yank until Kagome cried out it pain and fell to her knees.

Kaguya knelt down until their faces met again. "You're lucky that you're still useful to me," she hissed in her face and threw her to the floor. "Now get me my water!"

"H-hai...Kaguya-sama..." Kagome whimpered and ran out of the room.

_'I won't cry!'_ she told herself as she ran down the hallway. _'My tears had dried up a long time ago!' _She untwisted her hair roughly with her fingers. _'Hatred is the only thing driving me...not sadness...not sorrow!'_

Blinded by anger, she once again failed to notice another presence in her path.

But before she could bump onto anything, she was abruptly halted by two hands on her shoulder.

The sudden stop made her snap out of it and she darted her eyes up. When she met a pair of gold-amber, she immediately flinched and jerked away from him. "Stay away from me!" she yelled. _'Bastard! Haven't you caused me enough trouble already!'_ Just when she was about to curse out loud, she suddenly realized something. _'Wait...those eyes...it wasn't his...'_

A second quick glance at the person before her made her realize that she mistook the younger brother for the older one and she averted her gaze again. "S-sorry. I didn't know what had gotten in to me," she apologized.

"Apology accepted, but you shouldn't make a habit out of it," he responded.

Kagome replied with a cold why-do-you-dare-look.

An amused look registered on the hanyou's face. "It's the second time you bumped into me today. You're lucky that it wasn't my stupid brother, because if it was, you'd definitely be dead by now."

"I'm not going to die that easily," she muttered under her breath. _'Not without taking him with me...'_

"You know, I'm not sure whether I should praise your bravery or laugh at your stupidity," he suddenly commented.

Kagome gave him a puzzled look, but dared not to talk back.

"You actually thought I was Sesshoumaru when you said those words earlier, didn't you?"

_'He's sharp...'_ Kagome thought to herself. _'Well why shouldn't he be...he's a dog demon, just like him...'_

"Look, I'm not interested in what happened, but let me give a good advice," he continued. "Just stay out of his way, okay? If you're lucky enough, my brother will get tired of your mistress and you won't have to stay here any longer."

_'Leave this place and miss my only chance...? No way...'_ she told herself inwardly. "Thank you very much for your concern Inuyasha-sama, but I'm well aware of what I'm doing," she replied indifferently. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my mistress some water."

She brushed past the hanyou and made her way to the room Sesshoumaru showed her before.

.-.-.

Inuyasha waited until the raven-haired servant disappeared from his sight before he continued treading down the hallway. As he did so, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl.

The moment he halted her, he had noticed the scent of blood drifting from her hair. By that he knew the demoness had been punishing her again.

_'It should be related to Sesshoumaru...'_ he assumed, remembering the look in her eyes when she jerked away from his hold. Being a human, it wasn't hard for her to offend the dog demon. But even so, he was really curious to what his stupid brother could have done to invoke such deep hatred. Also, it made him realize that it was only a matter of time she would make a serious mistake and meet her end horribly.

But the pondering soon ended with another shrug. _'Well...it's not like I didn't warn her. It's not my problem if she doesn't listen to me.'_

That decided, he continued his walk in silence.

.-.-. inside the water reservoir room .-.-.

_'What was that all about! Telling me to avoid his brother and all... As if I'm better off staying with that Kaguya!'_ Kagome thought angrily as she scooped some water from the reservoir into a small bucket. _'Even if I want to, how can I possibly avoid that monster when he's betrothed to my mistress?'_

She quickly shook off the thought again. _'What am I thinking? There's no way I'm going to listen to him. Why is he helping me anyway? I'm just a servant.'_

_'Well, his mother is a human, maybe his human side felt sorry for you...'_ the voice in her head reasoned.

Kagome narrowed her eyes as she lifted up the bucket full of water and exited the room.

_'I don't need any pity.'_

.-. later .-.

As a continuation of her punishment, Kagome was ordered to stay behind in their room while Kaguya left to take a look around inside the fortress.

But even if her mistress had asked her to accompany her, she would have declined anyway. Their journey to the fortress had started before the sun woke up and exhausted her greatly.

She rubbed her sore feet and sighed. If someone needed to be punished, she wished it was the person who came up with the idea that servants should travel alongside their masters and mistresses by feet while they sit out the entire journey in their comfortable carriages.

Kagome let herself fall on her futon while convincing herself that it was no use brooding over something that couldn't be changed. The most important thing at the moment was to take the opportunity to rest before Kaguya returns.

Too tired to ponder about anything else, she slowly closed her eyes and allowed the fatigue to take over her body.

.-.

When she opened her eyes again, darkness was all she saw.

Her body felt as if she had been attacked by wild beasts and there wasn't a single spot that didn't hurt. She couldn't even blink without wincing. The massive weight that she felt on top of her only allowed her to take short broken breaths. Together with the pain, these were the only things that made her realize she was still alive.

While she tried to remember what had happened, she picked up some faint footsteps coming her way.

_'H-help...'_ She desperately tried to find the strength to cry out for help, but every time she attempted to take a deep breath, a surge of pain would force her to gasp in pain.

After several tries, Kagome gave up and closed her eyes to push back the tears that had began to well up. Just when she was about to lose all hope, a pair of voices caught her attention.

"How did it go?"

"My men and I have finished off every single person we encountered. Fortunately, most of them were still asleep so we didn't have to deal with too much resistance."

"There were those who resisted?"

"When we entered a storage room, there were two elderly humans blocking our way. At first we thought they were trying to protect something, but when we searched the room, we only found some barrels filled with rice and piles of cloths."

"What about the elders?"

"We disposed of them of course. You ordered us not to spare a single life."

Kagome held her breath as a tear flowed down her cheeks. _'Ojii-chan...obaa-chan...?'_

"But to be sure, we destroyed the entire building. We made sure nobody escaped in the process. You may rest assure, captain."

"You did a good job."

"Please forgive me for asking sir...why did we assault a brothel in the middle of the night?"

"Hmm...to be honest with you, I'm not too sure myself either. When Jaken-sama gave me this order, he said there were rebels hiding in here. But after your report, I'm beginning to doubt if that's the real reason."

"Wait a minute, did you say Jaken-sama? You mean, this mission wasn't issued by InuTaisho-sama?"

"I did ask Jaken-sama about this, but he said Sesshoumaru-sama didn't want to bother his father with it."

"So Sesshoumaru-sama is behind all this?"

"Yeah, Jaken-sama told me that Sesshoumaru-sama discovered the rebels during his patrols this evening."

"But there were no rebels among them!"

"Hmm..."

"Didn't they say Sesshoumaru-sama had always held a grudge against humans...?"

"What are you implying? Are you saying that Sesshoumaru-sama dispatched us to launch an assault on a brothel and kill everyone inside just because of some personal grudge?"

"I wouldn't reject that possibility."

"Even so...leveling an entire building just to eliminate humans...it's..."

"Insane, isn't it? And we're the ones who did it..."

"Just because we're demons doesn't mean we are allowed to stain our claws with the blood of the innocent! We didn't pledge our loyalty to InuTaisho-sama for this!"

"To think that we've been manipulated by a mere pup!"

"I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind when we're back at the fortress."

"Yes, but first we need to report this to the lord."

Kagome waited until their footsteps disappeared completely before bursting into more tears.

Her chest hurt with every sob and the cuts on her face burned as the salty fluid rolled over them. Her grandparents were the only family she had left after her parents died and now they were killed for no reason at all. She was all alone now, but it didn't matter anymore. She was about to join them soon.

Surrounded by darkness, she was oblivious to the passing of time. Had it not been for the bright light that suddenly pierced her eyes, she would have convinced herself that she was dead already.

"There's a survivor! Quickly, get a doctor!" She heard someone cry before she completely passed out.

.-.-.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes again as the last bit of memory faded in her mind. After she sat up again, she wondered if she had been dreaming or simply just recapping some fragments of her past.

She could remember much of it as clearly as if it was yesterday.

Not long after she had woken up after a long coma, she was told that she had been saved by Kaguya's father who coincidentally stumbled upon the crushed brothel along his way home.

As frail as any 8-year-old, she literally struggled for her life during the first couple of weeks. She had thought of giving up so many times, but at the end it was Kaguya's father who convinced her to persevere.

Kagome formed a rueful smile on her lips as she remembered how long she had cried when he passed away.

She also remembered the look on Kaguya's face during his burial. Her eyes were full of disdain as she looked at his tombstone. Kagome didn't understand why back then, but that was until she became her servant.

Other servants in the household felt sorry for her and soon Kagome learned of Kaguya's hatred towards the human kind. Unlike her father, she had always considered them to be inferior beings.

Perhaps she despised her father for being kind towards humans.

In time, even Kagome herself began to lament her sad fate. It was not until two years ago, when Kaguya told her of her goals in life, that she truly believed that Fate hadn't forsaken her.

_"Do you think I'm pretty, Kagome?"_

_"Why yes of course, Kaguya-sama. I mean, look at all those marriage proposals that you've been receiving in the past couple of years."_

_"What's wrong?"_

_"It's not enough. I want to become prettier."_

_"But you are pretty already."_

_"Not yet, Kagome. All these years, there has only been one goal in my life. To reach this goal, I have consulted many way to obtain unmatchable beauty...because I want to be worthy of bearing the title 'Lady of the West'."_

_"Lady of the West?"_

_"Yes. I will become the most beautiful demoness in the Western Lands and conquer the heart of the eldest heir of the great lord InuTaisho."_

It wasn't the first time she had heard that name. Except for the time when she was buried underneath the rubble, she had also heard from other servants about this lord named InuTaisho. He was a powerful lord and ruler of the West and there were those who respected him for his leadership. However, many loathed him for degrading himself by taking a human as his mate.

At that time, she was told that he had two sons. The eldest of the siblings was a full-blood, while the younger one was called a half-demon for having inherited his mother's human blood.

When Kagome found out that Sesshoumaru was the name of the oldest son, she couldn't think of a greater blessing from the heavens.

She knew it would take a long time to get what she wanted, but she was determined to seek this revenge.

Kagome pulled up her knees and leaned on top of them.

Maybe it was fate that brought her to Kaguya's family. She had to work very hard to gain her mistress' complete trust as her servant. Some scars that still remained on her skin could prove how much she had been through to come this far.

It was harsh, but seeing how gorgeous the demoness had become and how easily she had managed to enter the demon's lair, Kagome knew it was worth it.

_'So? What are you going to do now?' _

_'What do you mean?' _she replied inwardly.

_'Well, surely you realize your antagonist is a full-blood and strong dog demon with extremely good senses. You've got to have at least a perfect plan if you wish to avenge your grandparents' death.'_

Kagome grinned in her thoughts. _'Patience is a virtue, my dear conscience. When Kaguya really becomes the Lady of the West, I'll have more than enough chances to kill that monster.'_

_'If you can manage to stay alive until then, that is.'_

This got Kagome thinking. Her conscience was right. No matter how much she wanted to have her revenge, she had to be more careful from now on.

Kagome scowled, realizing that she had no other choice than acting polite and submissive in front of the bastard.

Her fists clenched in determination until her knuckles went white.

_'I swear it Sesshoumaru...I will make you repent for what you did! My fifteen years of suffering, I'll return it tenfold!'_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Took me some time to update. Sorry about that. I'm having some tests coming up, hence the delay. I want to thank everybody who read and reviewed! After my tests, I'll be gone (on holiday) for a while. In the meantime I'll continue writing on paper, so that I can update asap when I come back! Hope you'll bear with me and this story till the end! 

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: Title Undefined**

-.-

The preparations for the wedding are on the way and Kagome is busy with her part too. In this next chapter, there will be more interactions between the members of the dog demon family and the human servant. To make it easier for herself to approach Sesshoumaru in the future, Kagome forcefully drops her hatred towards the dog demon and tries to make him notice her less offensive side. Will she succeed?

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

**-sama:** honorific suffix you add to someone's name whom you respect very much  
**kawaii: **cute  
**hanyou:** half-demon  
**hai:** yes  
**ojii-chan:** grandpa in a familiar way  
**obaa-chan:** grandma in a familiar way

-.-.-.-

Posted: 2 July 2006  
Last Edited: 2 July 2006  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	4. Unexpected attention

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The day she received unexpected attention**

A week had passed since InuTaisho officially announced the betrothal between Sesshoumaru and Kaguya, and everyone in the fortress had begun the preparations for the wedding.

And naturally, as a servant, Kagome had to help too. But unlike others, who were running round and about with decorations in their hands, she was simply confined to her own quarters.

Sitting on the floor with her back to the sliding doors, she didn't realize someone entering the room.

-.-

"You're lazier than I had expected. Shouldn't you be helping your mistress with the preparations?"

By the sudden jolt of her shoulders, Inuyasha knew he had startled the servant. But he was surprised to hear her wince at the same time.

"Ite!"

He raised a curious brow. "What are you doing?" he asked.

The girl turned around to him with one of her fingers in her mouth. There was a pretty annoyed look on her face, but she hid it immediately with a deep bow.

"Inuyasha-sama! What brings you here today?" she said with her head practically touching the floor.

"I told you to drop the formality in front of me, didn't I?" Inuyasha sighed as he knelt down to her. While he urged her to rise up again, he caught a glimpse of a piece of garment resting on her lap. "Are you...embroidering?"

"Y-yes," she answered meekly. "This is Kaguya-sama's wedding gown."

Inuyasha carefully picked up the garment made of fine red silk and noticed the unfinished embellishment on its left chest. Although incomplete, he knew it was going to be a phoenix. "It's nice," he commended as he handed it back to the servant. "You're pretty good."

"Thank you," she said as she retrieved the garment. Without saying anything else, she picked up the needle, which was attached to the fabric with a golden thread, and continued broidering.

_'No wonder Kaguya insisted on keeping her around...' _Inuyasha mused inwardly as he watched her hand move gracefully from and to the silk. When he saw the small red dot on her forefinger, he finally realized why she winced in pain earlier.

He got back to his feet and turned to the door. "S-sorry," he hastily apologized and left.

-.-

Kagome's hand stopped as soon as she heard the sliding panels closing. She lowered her eyes to her throbbing forefinger. _'Did he just apologize to me?'_ she thought puzzled as she stole a sideward glance to where the hanyou stood before.

She shrugged and shook off the thought as she reminded herself whom she was dealing with. _'Drop the formality huh? As soon as I do that, he'll be sure to tell Kaguya about it and have me punished...'_ she convinced herself. _'Why should I even bother myself with him? He's not the one I should bother myself with.'_

Her eyes traveled down to the incomplete phoenix. _'I'll just finish this gown and then Kaguya will marry that stuck up Sesshoumaru...' _she thought as she ran her finger over the fine silver and golden threads. _'And then I'll have my revenge...'_

Kagome glanced down at her wrist, around which she could still feel the dog demon's tight grip. As easy as it sounded, she painfully realized that after the "well" incident, she might not even be able to approach the dog demon without being killed.

If she wanted her plan to succeed, she would have to change the way he thought about her or at least make him think that she held no hostile intentions. No matter how much she disliked the idea, she knew it was inevitable. It had to be done and it had to be done fast. After the wedding and bonding, it might be more difficult to get on good terms with the demon.

She scoffed at the words. _'Good terms? As if...'_ She put down the wedding gown on the floor and stood up. _'The longer it takes for me to finish this gown, the later the wedding will take place, and the more time I will have for my plans,' _she decided inwardly and made her way to the exit.

Lost in thoughts, she wandered down the hallway. It wasn't until the sun made her squint that she realized she was standing face to face with the familiar garden again.

_'Off all places, why here...?'_ she pondered annoyed as she gazed at the well. _'What's so sacred about it anyway?' _Although an expression of indifference registered on her face, she solemnly vowed to herself not to enter it again like last time.

"It's nice, isn't it?" a voice behind her asked.

Kagome jumped up and quickly pivoted around. She widened her eyes at the sight of the lord of the West. "InuTaisho-sama!" she gasped.

The demon lord smiled. "You are Kaguya's servant right? Shouldn't you be busy with the preparations for the wedding?"

Kagome bowed deeply in response. "I'm terribly sorry. I was just-"

"Taking a short rest?" he finished for her. "Do not worry, I will not tell anyone."

For some strange reason, Kagome felt she could trust him. Was it because of the reassuring tone of his voice? When she straightened up again, she saw that he had turned to the garden. _'Perhaps the rumors are true about this man...'_ she mused in herself as she turned to look at the garden as well. _'Loathed by others because of his kindness towards humans...just like...Kaguya's father...' _

"Yes, it is a nice garden indeed," she replied to his question earlier.

"I put a lot of effort in it," he suddenly explained after a short moment of silence. "That is why it is nice to know there is someone actually taking the time to enjoy the view of it."

Kagome stole a sidelong glance at the demon lord. _'He created this garden? Then surely he would know why it's so important to Sesshoumaru.'_ she concluded inwardly.

"Is this garden...very important?" she eventually asked.

Another brief silence followed her question and Kagome noticed that InuTaisho's eyes slightly hardened as he parted his lips to speak. "I had this garden built for my late wife," he told her.

Kagome raised her brows in surprise. "You mean...Sesshoumaru-sama's mother?"

He nodded and pointed at the well. "She often sat on the edge of that well and listened to the birds on the roof sing," he said. "But that was before she fell ill. She passed away not long after Sesshoumaru turned seven."

Her face dropped after he fell silent again. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be, it is already part of the past," InuTaisho told her before turning to her fully. "However, I am curious to the reasons behind your question."

"I-it's nothing, really!" Kagome stammered. "It's just that someone told me this garden was sacred, that's all."

The demon lord raised a brow. "Sacred? Did Sesshoumaru tell you that?"

Kagome nodded meekly. "I tried to draw water from that well earlier for my mistress, but was stopped by Sesshoumaru-sama. He seemed...displeased and told me never to enter this sacred garden again." She quickly bowed deeply. "I'm terribly sorry for entering this precious garden of yours...please forgive my ignorance."

"I see..." he said with a thoughtful tone. "Well, it is already in the past. There is nothing to forgive. Please rise up."

_'If only...'_ Kagome thought as she met his ochre eyes again. _'...if only you knew what your son did...'_

"I believe I should return to my quarters now," he eventually broke the silence. "You should do so as well."

She nodded in response and bowed politely. "I'm sorry for bothering you with idle chatter, InuTaisho-sama. Good day to you."

The demon lord turned and walked away, leaving Kagome alone with the garden again.

_'So this is where his mother used to sit down and enjoy the scenery huh?'_ she mused inwardly. _'No wonder he got so angry...'_ She crossed her arms and frowned. _'But that still doesn't rectify his actions! That-'_ Her thoughts ended abruptly when a bird descended from the sky towards one of the tall shrubs before her.

Even though it was just a small animal, its unfortunate choice of landing location caused one of the younger branches to bent deeply under its weight. It was only a matter of time that it snapped and broke off.

Kagome kept her eyes on the bird as it indifferently brushed its tiny beak on the fresh green branch. She knew she must have shown some movement as the bird suddenly darted its black opaque eyes to her.

Their staring game ended abruptly when a faint sound of something falling on a wooden floor emitted from within the mansion. The bird immediately spread its wings and disappeared into the blue ceiling.

Wondering what could have caused the noise, Kagome's eyes traveled down to the piece of branch on the grass. Just as she had predicted, the branch broke off when the bird set off for the sky.

A sad expression crossed her face as she drowned in her thoughts. There were so many other strong, matured branches and yet it chose the weakest one to rest on. Was it Fate that denied its existence?

Not wanted to let it end this way, Kagome stepped down from the terrace and approached the abandoned branch.

-.-.-

"She seems a nice girl. I think her name was Kagome, wasn't it?"

InuTaisho turned aside in his study, only to see his beloved wife approaching him after closing the panels behind her. "You were listening?" he asked surprised.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Izayoi explained with a smile. "I was just taking a short walk when I heard your voice, so I decided to take a look." As she said that, she noticed the troubled look on the demon lord's face. "Is something bothering you?"

There was a pregnant pause before he replied. "That girl...there is something strange about her..." he began. "There was a hint of anger in her eyes and voice when she mentioned Sesshoumaru."

"Anger?" Izayoi gave him a puzzled look. "Are you sure?"

"She was mincing her words, I could tell," he told her.

Izayoi placed a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, I'm sure it was just a small punishment. The girl will forget about it after a while."

The dog demon placed his hand over hers and turned to her. "I'm afraid it is not that simple. Somehow I get the feeling there's more going on between that servant and Sesshoumaru."

"You know...you shouldn't suspect Sesshoumaru all the time. He _is_ your son," reasoned Izayoi.

InuTaisho frowned. "Even though we share the same blood, there are time when I am not proud of what my son does," he grumbled in reply.

The human tilted her head at her mate's remark. "Are you referring to the incident 15 years ago? I thought you said you couldn't find any witnesses."

"I didn't," he said as he gazed away. "But I do have my suspicions."

"Are you saying that...Sesshoumaru might be the one behind the assault on the brothel and the disappearance of your men?" Izayoi's voice was reduced to a whisper as she spoke the dog demon's name.

"As I said, I have no prove," said InuTaisho. "But should I find one, I will not allow him to escape his punishment."

"You say you have no prove, and yet you have somehow already declared your son guilty," Izayoi mused.

InuTaisho replaced his annoyance with a weak smile as he turned to his mate. "You never cease to amaze me with your patience Izayoi," he told her warmly. "You always manage to take an objective position when it comes to Sesshoumaru, even though he has never shown any respect towards you."

Izayoi placed her head against his shoulder. "Well isn't that what a good mother does?"

The demon lord chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "If only he knew..." he mumbled under his breath.

-.-.-

Kagome looped some strands behind her ear as she gazed down at the branch, which was now standing upright with its torn end buried in the brown soil.

It wasn't until a gentle breeze caused its green leaves to shiver that she realized where exactly she was kneeling and she quickly rubbed her hands to get rid of the sand. Just when she was about to stand up and leave, a sudden force hit her in her thigh and threw her to the side.

"Ack!" she cried out when she hit the nearest wooden steps with her right wrist. Before she could even register what had happened in the past few seconds, a hand appeared out of the corner of her eyes and grabbed the collar of her garment.

She skipped a breath when she felt her being hauled up from the grass. The first thing her eyes were able to distinguish was the arm that had taken hold of her. The next thing that caught her attention was the pair of dark parallel stripes marking the smooth white skin below the wrist.

"I told you not to enter this place again."

Kagome snapped back into reality as she recognized the voice. Immediately, she pushed back the tears that were stinging her eyes and she raised her head to meet a pair of gold. She was about to stare daggers at him when a voice in her head suddenly reminded her to keep her temper at bay.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama...I...I was just..." she eventually muttered in defeat while mentally smacking herself. _'How could I've been so stupid! Why did I have to enter the garden...again!'_

She could feel his eyes burning onto her skin. Was it the end for her?

"Let her go Sesshoumaru! She didn't do anything wrong!"

A flash of silver and red appeared in the peripheral area of her eyes, but before she could turn to see who it was, she was suddenly released and falling backwards to the floor.

Kagome was surprised when an arm secured itself around her shoulder and cushioned the fall.

As soon as she was helped to her feet, Kagome looked aside to her rescuer and widened her eyes. "Inuyasha-sama!"

"You okay?" he asked as he let go of her.

"Yeah," she nodded and watched how he went to stand between her and Sesshoumaru.

"Move or I'll eliminate you as well." She heard the dog demon growl.

"Kill her and your wedding will never proceed!" Inuyasha barked in reply.

There was a slight amusement crossing Sesshoumaru's features as he heard this but it disappeared rather quickly.

"She is responsible for Kaguya's gown. If you hurt her, she'll never get it done on time," the hanyou insisted.

"I'll have the servants find a replacement. Now move."

Kagome scowled at the patronizing tone, but quickly shook it off again. If she didn't do something fast, the situation might draw unwanted attention.

"I-I'm terribly sorry for trespassing the forbidden area again," she cut across the hanyou, who was in the middle of arguing something. When she made sure both dog demons had turned their attention to her, she continued with her head bowed deeply. "It was unforgivable, but please do hear me out. I had no intention of staining this beautiful garden with my presence. I only wanted to bury the branch that was broken by a bird."

The silence that followed her explanation only added up to her uneasiness and she swallowed hard. "If...if my punishment cannot be avoided, then please, I beg you to let me finish my mistress' wedding gown first. After that, you may end this pitiful life of mine..." _'Like you ended the lives of my grandparents.'_ she added inwardly in disgust.

Kagome dared not to raise her head after she finished talking. _'What's going to happen now?'_ she wondered to herself.

The sound of footsteps over the grass made her stiffen, but when she realized it was going away instead of nearing, she raised her head, only to see the dog demon walking away from her and Inuyasha. _'Eh...?'_ she thought confused. _'Why is he-'_

She realized she must've looked pretty spaced out as the hanyou had to wave his hand to get her attention. "Are you okay?" he asked again.

"I think so," she mumbled half-listening.

Inuyasha gazed down at her swollen wrist she was trying very hard to conceal. "You hit your wrist when you fell. You need to see a nurse," he suggested with a hint of worry on his face.

As much as she agreed with him, Kagome decided she shouldn't stay there any longer and bowed slightly. "I think I have to return to my room now. I'm so sorry for making Inuyasha-sama argue with Sesshoumaru-sama," she apologized. "Please excuse me."

She brushed past him and left the garden hastily, but not before catching a glimpse of a stupefied expression on the hanyou's face.

"What the hell are you talking about? What about your wrist? Hey!" She heard him yell after him, but she wasn't listening any more.

She didn't know why he helped her. She knew that if it wasn't for him, she might've already been dead by now. But still...this was something between her and Sesshoumaru, it was irrelevant and unnecessary to involve anyone else.

She sighed deeply as she gazed down at her swollen wrist, which had started to become a bit blue. Her only concern right now was what Kaguya might do to her if she knew about this.

-.- that night -.-

Dinner time had long passed when Sesshoumaru shuffled silently though the moonlit hallways of the mansion. It had been a tiresome day. Although he had delegated everything of the wedding to everyone else to save himself some hassle, he still had to deal with the most loathsome matter: his betrothed.

Her insatiable desire to see and be with him all the time was truly frightening, even for a fierce dog demon like himself. Somehow, the demoness' high-pitched voice, which she always used to address him, kept reverberating in his mind and it annoyed him greatly.

_'Her servant is just as detestable...'_ he added in his mind as he finally arrived at his quarters. _'Ignoring my warning and entering the garden again...what impudence!' _

In fact, he was more than exhausted and all he wished for was a quiet night of rest in his room. But for some strange reason, he found himself reluctant to open the sliding panels before him.

_'Why did I even bother listening to her explanation?'_ his thoughts suddenly continued. He let out a soft growl for being mentally pestered again by the human girl, even in her absence. _'I'll kill her in the morning...I need my rest now.'_ He finally decided.

His clawed hands were already touching the wooden frame of the doors when a dim light caught his attention. He turned around and was enraged to see it coming from the garden. _'Not again!'_ With murderous intent filling his eyes, he walked away from his room and stepped into the direction of the light.

Somewhere halfway, he sniffed the air and immediately recognized the scent that was drifting from his destination. _'Girl, I'm going to kill you tonight!'_ he growled inwardly as he increased his pace.

Upon arrival, he only found a small candle lit on a platter on the terrace in front of the garden. He also noticed a neatly folded piece of garment not very far from it accompanied by a small wooden box containing various embroidery equipments.

He gazed around him cautiously, but couldn't find the seamstress anywhere. From the way things were placed on the floor, he figured she would return eventually and decided to wait. He wouldn't be able to rest before he had killed her anyway.

Sesshoumaru stole a glance at the dark fabric below. Was this the gown his moronic brother was talking about? Unable to suppress the urge to confirm this, he eventually bent down and picked it up.

Although it looked simple at first glance, Sesshoumaru was surprised at the weight and thickness of the garment. With both hands, the dog demon took hold of its shoulders and allowed the rest of the attire to unfold toward the floor.

Almost immediately his eyes fell on the dimly illuminated ornament embellishing its left shoulder and chest.

To say that he was simply amazed would be an understatement. The fine needlework rendered the dog demon completely speechless for the first time and he could only stare at the meticulous lines and curves shaping the upper body of the goldfeathered phoenix.

_'Perhaps the half-breed was telling the truth after all...'_ he mused inwardly, his eyes never leaving the gown.

-.-

_'This should ease the pain a little...'_ she thought as she carefully wound a cold towel around her bloated wrist. She winced silently and bit back the pain as she secured a knot using her other hand and teeth. _'Sesshoumaru, I hate you!'_ she screamed in her mind.

Tired and defeated, she silently entered the hallway again. She hated the dog demon, but she hated her mistress even more. Not only did she refuse to accept her explanation, she was evil enough to forbid any medical help until her gown was finished.

Kagome let out a troubled sigh. It wasn't like she didn't see it coming, but how was she going to finish the gown on time in her condition?

"And it's all your fault..." she muttered angrily. "You selfish, arrogant, cold-blooded..."

Her voice trailed off when she found herself standing in someone's shadow. "Move!" she spat before thinking.

The silhouette seemed to have noticed her presence and slowly stepped aside, allowing the candlelight to identify him.

Kagome widened her eyes and gasped at the sight of the dog demon. _'What is _he _doing here!'_ she thought in panic. It didn't take a long moment for her to realize how serious the situation was and she quickly bent forward with her head. "G-good evening, Sesshoumaru-sama," she greeted as composed as possible. _'I'm so dead...'_ she told herself, hoping that he didn't hear her cursing him earlier.

When she straightened up again, she found the same stoic expression on his face. It was then that she realized he was holding the wedding gown in his hands. _'Why is he...?'_ Her thoughts stopped when she noticed the dog demon turning his attention to the garment as well.

There was no way she could've missed the flash of disgust that briefly crossed his features and she readied herself to grab the gown from his claws. _'Don't you dare...'_ she warned him mentally.

As expected, the dog demon motioned to throw the garment to the floor, but luckily, Kagome had found herself dashing towards it already. She caught it in the air and held it close to her chest as she finished her brief sprint. Her heart thumped frantically in her throat as she gazed down at the flickering candle below her, only an inch away from her feet. _'You bastard!'_ she cursed inwardly, raising her eyes to meet his. She realized furiously that the gown she had desperately tried to finish would have been ruined had she not caught it in time.

Although she might have dug her own grave with her recklessness, it pleased her to know she had at least succeeded in foiling one of his evil plans. With an invisible smirk, she praised herself mentally and slowly settled down on the floor near the candle. _'If you have to kill me then do it fast...'_ she told the dog demon silently as she calmly picked up a threaded needle and nonchalantly continued embroidering. _'But I won't waste more of my precious time on you...'_

-.-

Sesshoumaru stared silently at the girl on the floor who was obviously ignoring his presence. Was she accusing him of trying to burn the gown on purpose? Not that the idea didn't appeal to him for a certain moment, but he concluded that she must've been too caught up with cursing him mentally to notice that it was simply the work of the midnight breezes.

He could clearly remember the fury in her eyes when she stared at him after catching the gown and it amused him to find such deep hatred for a mere attire. Should he prove her wrong? He shook off the idea. _'Why should this Sesshoumaru explain his actions to a servant?'_ he thought, cursing himself for having such ridiculous thoughts. But then again, being captivated by the work of the same servant and consequently failing to notice her presence was just as absurd.

Either way, she was a nuisance. Never in his life had he encountered a servant so ignorant, insolent and utterly annoying. She was indeed testing his patience, which was something he never had.

Sesshoumaru was already readying his claw for a swift execution when he suddenly noticed the clumsy bandage around her wrist. _'Does she really think such a messy treatment would be effective?'_ he thought, remembering her injury. He knew it couldn't have been the work of the nurses housed within the mansion. Apparently, the hanyou didn't summon any medical assistance for the human, which was surprising since he seemed very eager to protect her this afternoon.

"Your wrist. Why isn't it bandaged properly?" he inquired indifferently while lowering his arm to his side.

"After I told Kaguya-sama about my injury, she disallowed me to seek any medical help and ordered me to continue without proper treatment," she told him flatly, without looking up at him or halting her activity. "Saying I should repent for my _own_ clumsiness."

Sesshoumaru's brow twitched slightly at her emphasis at the end but kept his eyes on her wrist in silence.

-.-

Kagome forced herself to stay calm and sit upright as she waited for something, anything to happen. She was stupefied when the dog demon turned his back to her and started walking away.

She watched how he disappeared into the dark corridors and scowled. _'What's that supposed to mean? That this pitiful life of mine was once again spared? That I should be grateful?'_ she cursed in silence as she lowered her gaze to her hands on her lap. Almost instantly, the fear and anxiety that she tried very hard to suppress earlier suddenly took over and she realized she had begun to tremble uncontrollably.

_'S-stop trembling! Damn it!'_ she cried in herself as she bent forward as though she was suffering an immense stomachache. Did she just escape death once again? Or did the dog demon decide to wake and inform her mistress about this and have her exercise the punishment in his stead?

_'I have to get out of here...fast!'_ she decided in terror. With her shaky hands she removed the needle from the thread and put it back into the wooden box. After scrambling up everything in her arms, she pushed herself up from the floor. _'The candle!'_ she reminded herself quickly and bent down again to the dim light source.

Just when she was about to put it out, a familiar pair of feet appeared before her eyes. Realizing that she had missed her chance to escape, she slowly straightened back up without blowing out the candle until she met his icy gold-amber glare again. _'What now...?'_ she thought nervously. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath ever since his unwelcome return until she was suddenly craving for air with a deep inhale.

For the next couple of seconds, which seemed like an eternity, the two just stood there facing each other in silence. "U-uhm..." Kagome began hesitatingly as she clamped the garment and equipment against her chest.

"Rin," the dog demon suddenly cut her off.

Kagome raised her brows in surprise. "Eh..?" Her body stiffened when she caught something moving in the shadows behind Sesshoumaru.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," a female voice responded.

With confusion crossing her face, Kagome saw a girl appear from behind the dog demon, carrying a wooden box in her hands. She squinted her eyes to study her features, but concluded that she had never seen her before. She had dark hair like herself in a low ponytail and was wearing a plain brown kimono.

"Look at her wrist," he ordered coldly.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," she obeyed and approached Kagome.

She stopped within arm reach and put down the box she was carrying "Please, sit down," she requested kindly.

With the dog demon's ever-so-intimidating presence, Kagome painfully realized she didn't have much choice and sat down.

"Let me see your wrist," she asked while opening the wooden box. It revealed a neatly partitioned interior separating opaque bottles from fresh green herbs that emanated a calming scent.

Kagome put down the things she held in her hands and stretched out her right arm, palm up.

The girl slowly pushed back Kagome's sleeve and began untying the knot keeping the wet cloth around her wrist. Removing the quasi-bandage revealed a swollen wrist coated with blue and brown, which even Kagome herself couldn't bear to look at. But the nurse seemed unaffected at the sight of her injury and began pressing around on the swollen area with her thumb.

Kagome gritted her teeth and forced herself to endure the pain. _'I will not yelp in pain or cry in front of him!'_ she told herself bravely.

"Nothing's broken, it's only sprained, Sesshoumaru-sama." She heard her report to the dog demon. "It shouldn't take too long to heal, provided with the right medicine and treatment."

Relieved to hear it wasn't too serious, Kagome felt some of her tenseness ebb away.

"How long?" Sesshoumaru suddenly asked.

She took a moment to think before replying. "Three, maybe four days."

"I'll give you two days," he stated before turning to leave.

"I understand, Sesshoumaru-sama," she replied politely.

After making sure he won't be turning around again, Kagome gave the dog demon a dirty look. Even though it was just an order, he still made it sound more like a threat. _'I wouldn't have expected anything less...'_ she thought to herself as she turned back to the girl before her.

She watched how she mixed the content of several medicine bottled with some mashed herbs and carefully applied it around her wrist.

"I'm sorry to bother you at this late hour," she apologized when she finished applying the soft scented substance. "I didn't expect him to summon someone to treat my wrist."

"It's okay," she smiled while taking a roll of white bandage out of the box. "I'm actually glad Sesshoumaru-sama summoned me. Although it's not very serious, it could get worse if it doesn't receive proper treatment."

Kagome was puzzled that the girl could still smile after being threatened. "But aren't you angry at him? He said he'd only give you two days even though you explained it would take longer," she asked.

"Oh don't worry about that," she grinned with a hint of mischief. "I knew he would do that, so I extended the day of recovery on purpose. Truth is, it'll probably heal within two days."

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing and stared at the girl with widened eyes. "B-but then..."

"I've served Sesshoumaru-sama for a very long time," the servant explained. "He may be cold and harsh, but he is not evil. You may not believe me, but he was the one who saved me from a pack of wolves a long time ago. If it wasn't for him, I would never be here and telling you this right now. Ever since that day, I swore to myself that I'd dedicate my life serving Sesshoumaru-sama. And I will continue to serve him until the day I die. It's the only way I can repay kindness."

_'Kind? Sesshoumaru is...?'_ Kagome thought disbelievingly. Yet, the girl before her didn't look like she was lying. As the bandaging continued, she silently wondered what caused the dog demon to be so out-of-character and save the human girl back then.

Her thoughts crashed when the servant stood up again. "There, all done," she said as she smoothed out the ends of her kimono and offered her a hand. "I'm Rin. What's your name?"

"Kagome," Kagome replied with a small smile as she gladly took her hand with her other hand and stood up. "And thanks for treating my wrist."

"Nice to meet you Kagome and you're very welcome," she responded while gathering the box in her arms. There was a awkward pause before she continued. "And please don't hate Sesshoumaru-sama. Although I'm not sure what exactly happened but I know he must have had his reasons."

With that, she bowed slightly and silently trod away from her.

_'Had his reasons...?'_ Kagome repeated her words in her mind. She looked at her neatly bandaged wrist, which had stopped stinging a long time ago. She didn't know his reasons for summoning a nurse to treat her injury and defying his soon-to-be mate. She didn't know why he hated the human kind so much that he could wipe out an entire brothel just to eliminate three humans.

"He must have had his reasons."

_'Yes, he must have,'_ Kagome thought as she gazed into the darkness where the dog demon and his loyal servant had long gone. _'Just like she has her reasons to devote her entire life serving him...'_

_'...and just like I have my reasons for hating him for the rest of mine...'_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Sorry for the late update! Things have been a bit hectic after I returned from my vacation. Bills, luggage, cleaning, you get the drill. Anyway, I finally managed to gather my muses and finish this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know by review okay? Thanks! 

And by the way, in the manga, Rumiko Takahashi has finally revealed Sesshoumaru's mother. She's quite pretty and she's not dead! If you want to see some scans of her, just ask me for the link okay?

Cheers!

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The day she made a friend**

-.-

Kaguya explicitly forbade Kagome to seek any medical help, but now her wrist is neatly bandaged. How will the demoness react and who will come to her rescue?

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

**ite:** ouch **  
hanyou:** half-demon  
**-sama: **honorific suffix added to the name of someone you respect  
**hai: **yes

-.-.-.-

Posted: 22 August 2006  
Last Edited: 22 August 2006  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	5. The day she made a friend

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The day she made a friend**

"Don't tell me you stayed up all night to work on the gown."

_'Not again?' _Kagome yawned with a hand over her mouth. "Good morning, Inuyasha-sama. I hope you have slept well last night," she responded dully as she tried to focus on the needlework on her lap.

"Look at you, you can't even concentrate. You really need some rest," the hanyou argued, kneeling down until their faces were on the same level. He pointed at the undone embroidery. "Plus, you're not making any progress."

_'Geez I wonder why...'_ Kagome thought to herself. When she looked up again, she found Inuyasha looking down at her bandaged wrist.

"Did you do that yourself?" he asked a bit surprised.

She shook her head. "A nurse named Rin treated me last night."

"Rin?" His eyes widened almost instantly. "You mean Sesshoumaru summoned her for you?"

"Hm-hm," Kagome nodded without looking ups.

"What do you mean 'hm-hm'? Are you sure it was Rin? _The _Rin? Dark long hair and brown eyes?" His voice was filled with disbelief as he kept his wide eyes on her wrist.

"Sesshoumaru-sama was there too, you can ask him if you want. However, I doubt he'll ever admit it though," she countered, slightly annoyed.

"Keh! No way I'm gonna ask him!" the hanyou snorted as he crossed his arms. He stole a sidelong glance at Kagome, long enough for her to notice it and she returned the glance.

"What?"

"Nothing," he shrugged, allowing himself to be distracted by something else in the garden next to them. "I just can't think of any plausible reason for him to summon his personal maid to help a mere servant."

Kagome slightly stiffened at this but shook it off again. "Perhaps he felt guilty..." she began, but trailed off realizing how ridiculous it sounded. She stole a glance at Inuyasha, only to see a full grin plastered on his young face.

"Sesshoumaru feeling guilty for hurting a servant? No way..." he retorted.

For some strange reason, something snapped inside Kagome and she got up angrily. "So why don't you, oh mighty Inuyasha-_sama_, just leave this _servant_ alone with her work and spend time with those of your own level," she blurted out without giving it any thoughts. "Why are you even bothering yourself with me? I'm only a pitiful _servant_. Why should a demon like yourself care what happened to me at all! You just-"

"That's enough!" he interrupted her angrily.

His slightly darkened face made Kagome realize what she had just said and suddenly she lost all the spirit that caused her to vent her frustration at him.

"You think I wouldn't want to socialize with other demons? Just in case you didn't notice, I'm a half-demon. You think that's easy?" he barked as he rose to his feet. "You know what? You're right! I never should have bothered myself with you!"

That said, he stomped away.

Not long after he disappeared around a corner, Kagome clenched the gown she was holding to her chest and fell to her knees. _'Why did I say those awful things to him?'_ She dropped her gaze to her hands on her lap. _'He had helped me before and yet I...'_

_'Well, he shouldn't have kept calling you a servant earlier,'_ the voice in her head reminded her.

_'But I AM a servant, am I not?' _Kagome argued in her thoughts.

_'But he never referred to you that way before, did he?'_

Kagome fell silent. _'That's right...'_ she realized. _'But why was I so angry about it?' _No matter what the reason, she didn't have the right to tell him off like that. Nor was she in the position to do so.

_'Are you feeling guilty? Perhaps you should be more concerned with the repercussions you've caused yourself by talking to him that way,'_ her conscience warned her.

_'I know that...it's just...'_

_'Just what?'_

Kagome gazed down at the red garment as disappointment filled her eyes. _'I just thought he might be different than the rest...that's all. I guess I was wrong.'_

_'Oh dear Kagome...since when have you allowed yourself to be bothered with such futile emotions?'_

_'...futile emotions...' _Her mental conversation ended as a pair of footsteps approached her from the front.

"What are you doing here?"

Kagome recognized the haughty voice of her mistress and raised her head to face her. The demoness was wearing a black kimono today, over-coated with crimson flowers that matched the color of her lips.

"Kaguya-sama," she greeted her submissively. "I was just working on your gown."

"Oh?" She raised a brow as though she was really surprised. "I guess I should be really proud of you then, shouldn't I?"

Kagome lowered her face. "Not at all, it is my duty after all," she replied, her eyes drifting to her hands. _'Just go away and leave me be...you witch...'_

She widened her eyes when she suddenly noticed that her right sleeve was slightly pushed up, which revealed her bandaged wrist. But before she could even attempt to cover it, her mistress' hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

Kagome let out a faint yelp as Kaguya roughly jerked her to her feet. The silky gown slipped out of her hands in the process and cascaded to the floor below. "What is this?" she snarled with poison in her voice. "I thought I forbade you to seek medical help. Now don't tell me you managed to bandage like this yourself." As she said that, she tightened her grip, causing Kagome to wince out loud. "Well?"

"I'm so sorry Kaguya-sama. Please forgive me! It wasn't my idea..." she pleaded through gasps of pain.

Just when she thought she was going to pass out of the pain and the exhaustion that was finally catching up to her, a soft breeze brushed past her from the side and suddenly the grip around her wrist disappeared. _'Huh?'_ she thought surprised and looked up, only to see a red robed person back before her. Kagome just couldn't believe her eyes. _'Inuyasha...?'_

"Well well, it seems that you have managed to make an ally here, Kagome," her mistress said with a hint of disgust in her voice.

Awkwardly, Kagome shifted away from Inuyasha's protection until she was in the demoness' view again. "It's not like that Kaguya-sama. Please believe me!" she hastily explained before turning to the hanyou. "What do you think you're doing!"

Inuyasha tossed her a serious look over his shoulder. "I can't just pretend nothing's happening and let her break your wrist, can I?" he replied and shifted back to Kaguya. "Besides, she's only venting her frustration on you because she can't seem to locate my brother and cling to him like a parasite."

Kaguya merely smirked at the obvious taunting. "Oh please don't talk about me like that," she chuckled. "There's no way I can't find my beloved Sesshoumaru-sama if he's in the fortress, I am his soon-to-be mate after all. We have...what you might call...a bond of destiny linking us to each other...you know? Oh ho ho ho."

Kagome felt a chill down her spine upon hearing her mistress' high-pitched laughter. Inuyasha, on the other hand, didn't seem to be affected at all. "Well, believe it or not. It's your beloved Sesshoumaru-sama who summoned a nurse to treat your servant's wrist," he snorted. "What do you think of that?"

Kagome gasped in shock and pulled at his sleeve. "What are you saying!" she hissed at him. "She'd never believe such nonsense! You didn't believe it yourself either! And even if she does and tries to confirm this, Sesshoumaru-sama would definitely deny anything!"

Both of them turned to Kaguya as she seemed to have taken interest what the half-demon said. "Sesshoumaru-sama did? _My_ Sesshoumaru-sama summoned a nurse for _her_?" Suddenly, she burst out in laughter with her hand over her mouth. "Ha ha ha ha, are you trying to amuse me? He would never do such thing as helping a human servant."

Her laughing stopped short after it began and she glared daggers at Kagome. "You should really know your place Kagome. You shouldn't tell such awful lies." Her eyes traveled to Inuyasha. "Poor little Inuyasha, don't be deceived by that girl behind you. She can be very tricky sometimes," she warned him with a grin.

Kagome gritted her teeth as she listened to this. _'How dare she...of all people...' _she thought enraged. Unconsciously, she took a step forward but was stopped in her track by Inuyasha's arm.

"Why don't you try asking your dear betrothed Kaguya? Or are you perhaps scared to hear the truth?" he threw at the demoness.

Fortunately, Kaguya oversaw Kagome's insolent attempt and an amused expression crossed her face. "Are you sure you want to do this Inuyasha? We're going to be family soon, it would be bad if everybody thought we were on bad terms just because of an insignificant person," she faked a smile.

The hanyou scowled in response. "You're not even part of the family yet, so you're in no position of telling me what I should or shouldn't do. But even if you're married to Sesshoumaru, I would never accept the likes of you as family, so why don't you back off."

The last bit of composure on the demoness' face disappeared almost instantly upon hearing Inuyasha's final remark and was replaced by complete hatred. "Why you..." she hissed.

Instinctively, Inuyasha pushed Kagome to stand behind him again. "You might want to stand behind me," he told her as he prepared himself. "I think I just angered a beast."

Kagome failed to suppress a snort at the hanyou's remark, which earned herself an icy glare of her mistress.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you, you wench! You can't hide behind that half-breed forever!" she growled angrily and shot a death glare at Inuyasha. "As for you, insolent fool..." Before finishing her sentence, she suddenly made a slashing movement at him with her hand.

Kagome was surprised to see him parry her hand only an inch away from his face. _'He's fast!'_

Inuyasha grinned. "Hey you're pretty sly, trying to catch someone off guard like that."

"Shut up!" the demoness snarled and quickly dropped to a crouching stance to launch a swipe at his legs.

This time, the hanyou jumped away and landed in the garden. "Ha! Trying to hit me? You're ten years too early!" he cried proudly. To his surprise, Kaguya only grinned as she straightened up again.

"Are you sure you want to stand that far away?" she smiled mischievously, stealing a sidelong glance at her servant, who was standing all by herself on the terrace.

"Shit!" Kagome heard the hanyou curse before a hand captured her throat and slammed her against a nearby pillar.

"See? I told you you couldn't hide from me forever," grinned the demoness, whose face was only inches away from hers. "You didn't think it would be this soon, huh?"

Kagome held her breath at the murderous blue-gray she was forced to stare into and desperately tried to pry off her mistress' hand. A horrified look crossed her face as she watched her readying her other hand to strike at her.

During the next couple of seconds, as if everything transpired in slow motion, she followed Kaguya's hand that drew nearer to her face. In the peripheral area of her eyes, she saw Inuyasha dashing toward her from the garden, but she knew he wouldn't make it in time.

She was brought out of her reverie when the expected impact never came and she blinked in surprise. _'What happened?'_ she thought puzzled. Her mistress' long nails were still digging into her skin, but her other hand had halted midair only an inch away from her.

It didn't take long before she noticed another hand holding Kaguya's wrist, which was obviously the reason why she had been spared from five gashes on her facial skin. Her eyes traveled beyond the demoness and widened as they acknowledged the presence of another even more frightening individual. "S-Sesshoum-" she gasped in disbelief, but her voice was immediately overpowered by Kaguya's high-pitched voice as she let go of her throat.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she squealed as her expression changed from anger to joy to distress in a split second. "Oh Sesshoumaru-sama! Where were you? Your little brother teamed up with my servant and they started bullying me. It was awful!" she wailed and launched herself at his chest.

In the corner of her eye, Kagome saw that Inuyasha had stopped running towards her and was keeping a distance between himself and his brother. "Bullying you? Keh, look who's talking! You were about to kill her!" he spat.

Ignoring him, the demoness took her opportunity to snuggle closer to Sesshoumaru. "I was only punishing her for disobeying me first! I told her not to seek medical help but she defied me and got her wrist bandaged," she continued. "And then she lied to me about you summoning a nurse for her."

Kagome's face dropped. She was afraid something like this would happen. Now Sesshoumaru would deny everything and together with Kaguya, he would think of an even more severe punishment for her. Her heart raced in her chest as she thought about what was going to happen next. She was struck by fear when the dog demon pried the demoness off of him and started walking towards her.

As soon as he stopped within arm-reach, she slowly craned her neck to meet his eyes that were filled with nothing but annoyance. "Get away from him!" she heard the hanyou yell at her. But before she could even signal for her legs to move, the dog demon before her smacked her hard on the cheek and sent her flying sideways to the garden below.

A soft thud sounded below her when she landed on the grass. Her mouth slowly filled with the taste of blood as she slowly pushed herself up with her uninjured arm and gazed back at the dog demon. With hatred in her eyes, she watched the dog demon turn his back to her again and walk away in silence. _'This is so typical...' _she sighed inwardly as she caressed her stinging cheek with her other hand.

"That'll teach you!" Kaguya snapped at her before she scurried after her betrothed and clung to his arm like a leech.

Kagome let out a deep sigh and reluctantly got back to her feet again. _'When does the humiliation stop...?'_ she wailed inside. _'Why can't he just kill me instead...?' _

A sudden tap on her shoulder made her jolt in shock and snap back into reality. Terror filled her mind as Kagome glanced aside but it gradually faded as soon as she realized it was Inuyasha.

"Hey easy, it's just me." He reassured her, aware of her unease. His silvery locks billowed in the passing breeze as he regarded her with worry in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Kagome gave him a wary look. "Yeah, I think so," she replied before bowing slightly. "And I'm sorry for my insolence earlier, it seems that Inuyasha-sama has saved this servant's life once again."

"In that case, you should say 'thank you', should you not?" he returned a smile.

Surprised at his rather cheerful response, Kagome completely forgot about her throbbing cheek and blinked in puzzlement. "Shouldn't you be angry?"

"You were just grumpy after having worked all night," he told her. "Besides, it was kind of my fault actually. I was really acting like a jerk back there even though I was the one who suggested to drop the formality."

"But you have the right to do so," Kagome argued meekly. "I mean...there's nothing wrong with calling a servant a servant, right?"

"You're not like all the other servants," he told her seriously. "You defied your mistress while knowing you would be punished for it. You showed respect to my mother and I, even though your mistress deemed us unworthy."

"Is that why you're helping me?" Kagome felt a surge of guilt entering her head. _'But it's not like that...'_ she confessed inwardly. _'I didn't do it because I respected you or your mother... it was only to secure Kaguya's position in this fortress...'_

While being consumed by thoughts, she only managed to hear parts of what the hanyou was saying in response to her question.

"Well...you could say that...but I was thinking that...ally...not...bad..."

Kagome raised her brows as she heard the word 'ally' and turned to him fully. "I'm sorry...what did you just say?"

"You heard me!" he spouted with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Anyhow, stop getting yourself in so much trouble okay? I may be standing on your side, but I'm not always there...you know?"

Not giving her a chance to ask anything else, he turned and left hurriedly, leaving a very confused Kagome behind.

-.-

After a brief moment of staring into the direction the hanyou went, Kagome slowly made her way towards the terrace again. _'I'm not dreaming...am I?'_ she thought as she ascended the wood and approached her embroidery tools. Did the hanyou just offer to be her friend? After everything she had said to him and the trouble she had caused him, he still helped her ward off the demoness.

Kagome dropped her face. She had always thought that her hatred towards demons was just and the only conviction that was keeping her going. But ever since she entered this place, her belief had begun to waver. First it was InuTaisho and then suddenly a human servant appeared who was willing to serve the cold-blooded Sesshoumaru for the rest of her life. And now she was about to befriend the younger brother of her antagonist.

_'When did things become so complicated?'_ she groaned in herself. _'I just want revenge...I don't want to involve anyone else...'_

After gathering everything in her arms, she started walking towards her quarters. She didn't want to misuse the half-demon's kindness but to withstand demons like Sesshoumaru and Kaguya, having an ally might not be so bad at all.

Although she knew she had to focus on revenge instead, the thought that Inuyasha would be her very first friend in fifteen years kept returning in her mind as she shuffled through the hallways of the mansion.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
I'm so sorry for the late update. I know I promised some of you to update as soon as possible, but some personal stuff happened and I really couldn't concentrate on my story. I can't promise you anything about when I will post the next chapter, it really depends on the situation I guess. I will do my best! I hope this chapter turned out well, please tell me by review okay? Thanks a bunch! 

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The fated day of punishment**

-.-

Preparations are done and the wedding is about to take place. All is proceeding as planned, but then what is this unnerving feeling that he keeps feeling?

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

**hanyou:** half-demon

-.-.-.-

Posted: 19 September 2006  
Last Edited: 19 September 2006  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	6. The fated day of punishment

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The fated day of punishment**

Despite the busy preparations for the wedding, time seemed to slip by faster than normal and soon, the people of the West found themselves marching out of the warm summer season. The surrounding woodland had begun to exchange its fresh green colors for those favored by Autumn while winds from the North released crisp air upon the Western Lands. As they brushed past the large mansion inside the fortress of the West, part of the breezes took the invitation of a pair of unshut sliding doors and greeted a certain servant sitting on the floor inside.

Kagome paused her activity to enjoy the invigorating draft that brushed past her. _'Mm...fall already?'_ she thought relaxed, recognizing the leafy scent it carried. After several deep breaths, she turned to her work again.

Carefully, she secured the needle between her thumb and forefinger and pulled it through the fabric one last time. Once she verified the security of the thread, she reached out for the pair of scissors that lay beside her and severed the line nearest to the garment.

A pleased expression appeared on her face as she put aside the scissors and held up the gown she had been working on for the past couple of weeks. To make sure there were no flaws, she spread the attire over the floor and smoothed out every wrinkle to have a better look at it as a whole.

Slowly, she ran her fingers over the embroidery that adorned its shoulder and torso in search of irregularities, but a grin formed on her lips when she didn't find any. _'Once again, you have proven that you're not to be underestimated. Good job Kagome!'_ she praised herself inwardly. She gazed down at the tiny pink flowers spread over the rest of the gown that articulated the gold and silver feathered phoenix perfectly and concluded that it was a good idea to add them last night. _'She had better be pleased with this...'_ she thought to herself as she tried to imagine her mistress praising her for a job well done. A soft giggle escaped her throat as she started gathering her tools.

"Well you sound surprisingly happy today, did something good happen?"

With a smile plastered on her face, Kagome welcomed the new presence in the room. "Good morning Inuyasha-sama," she greeted.

The hanyou frowned in response. "I thought I told you-"

"Yes, I know, I was only teasing you," she cut across him with a grin. Even though it's only been a month since she and Kaguya came into the household, she had somehow gotten used to his company.

Of course, it was also reassuring to have someone by your side in case another conflict occurs, but much to her surprise, nothing bad had happened ever since the havoc about her bandaged wrist. Fortunately, just like Rin had predicted, she was able to remove the bandage the next day without leaving any complications and Kaguya hadn't mentioned it ever again.

She did notice however that ever since that day, the demoness started showing up less frequently to criticize her. From what she had heard, it was due to Sesshoumaru's demand for her continuous company. And knowing Kaguya better than anyone else, Kagome reasoned that there was no way she could've refused even if it meant less chances to pick on her. Which was fine, since it allowed her to work in peace. _'Heh, perhaps I should be grateful...'_ she retorted mentally.

"Hey! You've finished it!" Inuyasha suddenly broke through her thoughts. He stared at the gown intensely. "I know I've probably told you a thousand times already, but you've really done a great job!"

Kagome chuckled. "To tell you the truth, I think I'll never get tired of hearing your compliments, thanks. I do hope she thinks so too."

"I'm surprised you were able to do it a week before the wedding," said the hanyou.

"Yeah, I'm surprised myself as well," she responded, looking down at her wrist. "I never could've done it without Rin's help."

"You were lucky," he told her. "She's the only nurse who has access to our fortress' best medications. Your injury would definitely have taken longer to heal if another one treated it."

"In that case I should thank her, shouldn't I?" Kagome mused aloud.

Inuyasha folded his arms. "She'll probably tell you to thank Sesshoumaru instead, since he's the one who summoned her in the first place."

_'Thank him? No way...'_ Kagome thought inwardly. "Yeah, maybe I should," she said jokingly.

"Before you do that, could you do me one last favor?" the hanyou asked rather seriously. "Could you try on that gown for me?"

Kagome shot him a stupefied look. "W-what! Are you out of your mind? Do I need to remind you to whom it belongs?" Her widened eyes narrowed slightly after a short pause. "Wait...did you say 'one last favor'? Why are you sounding like I'm going to die?"

"Well you would be if you're really planning to thank that brother of mine," Inuyasha stated flatly. "You're practically forcing him to admit that he helped you. Do you remember what happened the last time we tried to do that?"

"He didn't," she replied scowling as she raised her hand to her left cheek. "Now that you mention it, he didn't deny it either. Why did he slap me instead?"

"It was a reminder, I think," he guessed. "Perhaps he wanted to warn you of the consequence next time you try to confront him again."

A moment of silence ensued as both of them stared at the floor. Suddenly Kagome remembered something he said and gazed up at him again. "Were you serious when you said that?" She seemed to have startled the hanyou with her question as a puzzled look registered on his face.

"Said what?" he asked.

"About me trying on that gown for you as a favor," she repeated his words.

"Oh that," he replied, slighty distracted. "Well, I just thought it might look good on you, that's all. After spending so much time and effort on it, aren't you curious about how it would look on you instead of Kaguya?"

Kagome responded with a small smile. "I would be lying if I told you the idea had never crossed my mind before, but a wedding gown is not something you can try on just for fun," she reasoned. "I will make one of my own someday and wear it when the time comes, but not now."

-.-

As he watched her reach out and smooth out non-existent wrinkles on the silky surface of the gown, he knew something was on her mind. She was sad about not being able to wear the very first wedding gown she made, but something told him that it wasn't the only reason.

_'Maybe she's afraid that her next one won't be as perfect as this one.'_ he mused. _'Or maybe she thinks she'll never be able to marry because of her status as a servant...'_

His gold-amber eyes drifted to the birdling that was sitting on the waist of the garment. _'With her skills, she could've easily become a tailoress or seamstress and broken her relationship with Kaguya. But why does she still insist on following that demoness? Is something preventing her from leaving her side?'_ he wondered.

He was brought out of his reverie when she girl suddenly stood up. "Do you know where my mistress is?" she asked as she gathered the gown from the floor.

"I saw her enter my brother's room a while ago, but I'm not sure where she would be right now," he replied. "Why?"

The servant carefully hung the garment over a wooden rack specially designed for displaying kimono's. "She needs to know that her gown is ready," she told him. "But I guess reporting this to Sesshoumaru-sama is just the same."

"Should be, since both of them are eager to get married anyway," Inuyasha agreed. His eyes followed her hand that began ironing the garment at different places. "But remember, only tell him about the kimono okay? Don't push your luck. There's somewhere I need to be this morning so I won't be there so save you."

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled impatiently before turning to him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to digging my own grave."

Inuyasha watched her leave the room and silently prayed she wouldn't do anything stupid.

-.-

Not long after Kagome entered the wing of the mansion where Sesshoumaru's quarters were located, she noticed someone walking toward her from the opposite direction. As soon as she recognized the dog demon's personal maid, she walked into her path to stop her. But it didn't catch her attention as she seemed to be too occupied with something invisible on the floor.

"Rin-san?" she called to her, causing her to look up.

The smile that formed on her lips showed that she recognized her as well. "Just Rin will do," she said kindly. "How is your wrist?"

"Yes, I wanted to thank you for that. Just like you said, it healed within two days," Kagome told her as she revealed her right wrist. "If it wasn't for your treatment, it wouldn't have healed this fast." She bowed slightly forward. "Thank you very much."

"I'm really glad that you've recovered, but there is no need to thank me. I was just doing what was asked of me," she said, beckoning Kagome to straighten up again. "Maybe you should thank Sesshou-"

"Rin." A low voice interrupted her.

Both Rin and Kagome turned to the voice, only to see Sesshoumaru standing not very far away.

Kagome instantly noticed the apologetic look on Rin's face as she whispered to her. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go now. Maybe we can talk more another time." After that, she turned to the dog demon, bowed politely and walked away. Kagome followed her with her eyes until she went around a corner and turned to face Sesshoumaru again, who had the word 'irritation' written all over his face.

"What is your business here?" he inquired.

"I came to tell Sesshoumaru-sama that I have finished the gown," she replied calmly.

"And you were telling that to my servant as well?" he asked with an expectant look.

_'Do you have to patronize me whenever you get the chance?'_ Kagome cursed inwardly. "No," she told him without thinking. She looked him firmly in the eye. "I was thanking Rin for treating my wrist that night." _'Wait! What am I saying?'_ her mind alarmed her as she saw the darkening expression of the dog demon. _'Quickly Kagome, apologize while you still can! Tell him you were wrong!'_

She parted her lips to speak, but what came out was far from being an apology. "But she suggested I should thank you instead," she told him.

Surprisingly enough, nothing happened in the next couple of seconds. Sesshoumaru could have ended her life in a split second if he wanted to, but he merely gazed down at her and she just stared back in silence.

Kagome frowned slightly. _'Well? Say something...do something...whatever!'_ she thought, feeling more awkward with each second.

"So..." she eventually broke the nerve-breaking quietness. "Uhm...thank you..." And she bowed before turning around to leave.

As she walked away from the dog demon, more and more question marks started to pop up in her mind. _'He's not punishing me for what I've said...'_ she thought puzzled. _'Why?'_

_'Do you want him to?'_ the voice in her head asked.

_'No, of course not!'_

_'Then keep walking and don't look back.'_

Following her conscience's advice, Kagome kept her slow pace until she reached the central part of the building. Her heart raced in her chest as if she had been running the whole time. _'What just happened?'_ she asked herself. _'I'm not dreaming, am I?'_

-.-

He silently started at the empty spot where the girl stood before. Did a servant just talk back to him? And not just some servant. It was the same annoying girl who kept testing his patience ever since she stepped inside this fortress. And patience was something he never had. _'Perhaps that slap wasn't excruciating enough for her to remember...'_ he mused annoyed. His fists clenched in anger until the knuckles went white. Had his father not forbidden him to kill before the wedding and coronation, he would've been able to sunk his claws into the insolent wench a long time ago.

Suddenly, a comforting idea entered his mind and he allowed an invisible grin to form on his lips as he recalled her words earlier.

_"I came to tell Sesshoumaru-sama that I have finished the gown."_

He glanced sidelong up at the gray cloudy sky and narrowed his eyes. "Human, this Autumn...it will be your last," he growled determined.

-.- the next morning -.-

"Miss Kagome? Are you awake?"

Kagome yawned on her pillow before turning to the voice. "What is it?" she rasped.

"Miss Kagome! Thank goodness! You need to hurry," it explained to her from behind the doors. "The ceremony is going to start soon."

Immediately, Kagome snapped out of her sleepy state. "C-ceremony?" she gasped in shock. _'Was it today? No, it can't be! I only finished the gown yesterday!'_

Without her permission, the sliding doors opened and revealed a female servant. "I was summoned to help you get dressed," she said and entered the room. "Kaguya-sama will be furious if she knew you couldn't attend her wedding on time."

Kagome nodded and quickly got up. "I understand." Rather than brooding over the sudden change of plans, she figured if would be best for both of them to respond to the situation at hand first.

With the servant's help, she managed to wash herself and get dressed in a couple of minutes. Once everything was set, both of them hurried out of the room and into the hallway.

-.-

"I thought the wedding ceremony wasn't until next week," Kagome asked the servant running before her.

"I thought so too, but Sesshoumaru-sama suddenly decided this morning to hold it today and since Kaguya-sama didn't object, we had no choice but to obey." She suddenly took a turn into another hallway. "It's much shorter this way," she tossed over her shoulder.

In the meantime, Kagome tried to keep up with the servant without ripping apart the tight kimono her mistress prepared for her. It was soft yellow from top to bottom with little white flowers spread all over it. Although a lot prettier than all the other kimono's or yukata's she had worn, she wished it was easier to run with. _'You just couldn't wait another week huh?'_ she mentally asked the dog demon. _'Well not that it matters, since everything is still proceeding as planned...'_ she reassured herself. _'As Kaguya's personal maid, I'll be given lots of opportunities to get near you...and as soon as I catch you off guard, I will-'_

"We're here!" the servant's voice cut off her thoughts.

While catching her breath, Kagome found herself standing at the entrance of an enormous hall. Masses of people, guards and servants were aligned neatly to the left and right, creating an open path in the middle of the space. At the very end of the path stood a priest dressed up traditionally and behind him stood InuTaisho, Izayoi and Inuyasha, who had a pretty bored look on his face.

"Come on! We need to get out of the way!" the servant told her as she grabbed Kagome's hand and pulled her deeper into the hall. Halfway the open path, they stepped aside and merged themselves with the crowd.

Shortly after that, two female servants entered through the entrance, each with a basket filled with rose petals looped around the elbow. As they advanced further into the direction of the priest, they sprinkled the petals over the floor, creating a lovely pink pathway.

Only when the crowd suddenly gasped in admiration did Kagome shift her attention away from the flower maidens. Following their lines of vision, she found herself gazing at the entrance again.

There they were, the perfect demon couple, walking slowly over the flower path laid out for them.

A tiny bit of envy filled Kagome's as they fell on the gown Kaguya was wearing. For a brief moment, she tried to imagine herself wearing it instead of the demoness.

"Oh...Sesshoumaru-sama looks so handsome today..." a voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. It came from someone standing in the crowd. "I wish I was the one walking alongside him..." Another one responded in jealousy.

Kagome stole a reluctant glance at the one they were talking about, but almost immediately she regretted doing it. The sight of the dog demon in a traditional robe was indeed stunning and she cursed herself for not being able to look away. The dark color of his attire accentuated his long silver hair that brushed his back with every step he took and the indifference that graced his facial features only added up to his fine looks. Disgusted by her own thoughts, Kagome forcefully jerked her eyes away from Sesshoumaru. _'Snap out of it Kagome! He's still a cold-blooded murderer no matter what!'_ she convinced herself.

She ignored the pair for the rest of their promenade until the murmuring in the audience died down.

As the priest started talking, Kagome noticed the glances her mistress stole at Sesshoumaru from time to time and couldn't help but think how miserable his life would become from now on. _'But you brought it upon yourself.' _she thought with an inaudible snort.

After the ceremony ended, the priest stepped aside and allowed the demon lord to step forward, and the coronation of the new Western lord began.

While listening to the wise words of InuTaisho, a sad look appeared on Kagome's face as she thought about the misfortune that was about to befall the humans residing in the West. Inside, she wondered if the lord had considered this as well. _'As a human loving lord, he must find it tormenting to bestow his authority to his son, whose intention is to cleanse the world of all humans.'_ she sympathized.

_'But what about Rin? She's human too.' _she suddenly remembered. _'Inuyasha said she was his personal maid...but doesn't he hate humans? Wasn't that the reason why he burnt down the brothel without second thought?'_ She shook away the confusion that had started to creep in. _'There's nothing wrong with my conviction. This demon is still the one who killed my only family! Nothing can justify that except for revenge!' _she screamed in herself.

Her train of thoughts crashed when everyone around her began to move. The coronation had ended and everyone was making their way toward the gathering area. Without much space to move according to her own will, she allowed the crowd to guide her to the exit.

Being too caught up with trying not to get trampled by the rest, Kagome failed to notice a certain dog demon glaring daggers at her back. However, it did alert a certain hanyou.

-.- that night -.-

"Kagome? Are you there? Kagome?"

Kagome rolled to the side in her futon and moaned softly, disregarding the distant voice. Her ignorance was soon punished with a rough jostling of her shoulders.

"Wake up Kagome!" the same voice accompanied the shaking. This time, it sounded a lot closer than before, as though the speaker was actually sitting right next to her.

Almost immediately, Kagome's eyes shot open at the realization. As soon as her eyes adapted to the darkness, she noticed the white-colored strands that was draped over her blanket. After lifting her head a little to determined the source of it all, she froze to see Inuyasha's face only inches away from hers.

A hoarse gasp escaped her as she scooted away from him with her blanket clutched against her chest. "Wha...what are you doing here!" She darted her eyes around in the dark, only to realize they were all alone. "Where is Kaguya-sama?" she rasped.

"She's with my brother, it's their wedding night remember?" he whispered to her as he approached her again.

Kagome rubbed her eyes as she finally remembered. "Oh...right..." she responded fuzzily. But a wary look crossed her face as she turned to Inuyasha again. "What do you think you're doing, sneaking into my room like that!"

"There's no time for explanation I'm afraid. I came as soon as I made sure Sesshoumaru and Kaguya went inside their wedding room. We need to get you out of here, fast!" he told her seriously.

"Get me out of here? Why?" she asked puzzled.

"You did something to anger Sesshoumaru, didn't you?" he asked her in return.

Kagome took a moment to think. "Anger him? Well...something did happen yesterday when I went to tell him about the gown..."

"You idiot! I told you not to do that, didn't I!" he scolded her with a suppressed voice after hearing her story. "Did you think you could get away with that?"

"But he didnt-" she argued but was cut off shortly.

"He didn't kill you because my father forbade him to until the wedding and coronation are over!" he explained. "And why do you think he suddenly decided to hold the wedding today, right after you finished the gown?"

Inuyasha's words were followed by a pregnant and awkward silence, during which Kagome slowly began to comprehend her situation. At the same time, a tremendous amount of fear started to kick in and she mentally cursed herself for fooling herself the whole time.

All this time, she kept telling herself that everything was within her expectations; that it was only a matter of time that she could exact her revenge. After being spared several times by the dog demon, she was so convinced that he had completely fallen into her pace. Her arrogance caused her to lose sight of the truth and she failed to see that only the opposite was true. Kaguya kept her alive because she was still of use to her. She would no longer need her, now that she had achieved her goal.

"Hey! Snap out of it will you?" Inuyasha's voice cut off her thoughts.

_'He's right, now that the wedding and coronation are over, there's no guarantee that Sesshoumaru would allow me to live any longer.'_ she concluded inwardly. "Is there no other way...?" she finally asked.

The hanyou sighed. "No matter how much I want to protect you, I'm not strong enough and nor do I possess the status to stop my brother if he's determined to do something. But there might be a chance if..." His voice trailed off and an awkward expression appeared on his face.

"If what Inuyasha? Please tell me," she beckoned him with a hand holding his sleeve.

"Because you're a servant, Sesshoumaru would have no problems getting rid of you," he explained. "But if your status were to become much higher, chances are that he'll think twice before touching you."

Kagome frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"What I'm trying to say is...other than running away from this place, your only chance to survive is..." he swallowed hard before looking Kagome in the eyes. "...for you to become my mate."

As if she had touched a boiling kettle, Kagome retraced her hand from his sleeve immediately. "W-what...?" she gasped with wide eyes.

The hanyou's eyes hardened as though her sudden flinch had hurt him physically, but it disappeared quickly afterwards. "Like I said, you would need a status almost equal to Sesshoumaru's if you want to live. And by becoming my mate, you'll be part of the family and he won't be able to cause you any harm anymore," he said with the same seriousness.

"You can't be serious about this..." she argued in disbelief. "We're talking about marriage here. Taking a lowly servant as your mate...it's absurd!" Her heart skipped a beat when he suddenly took both her hands on his clawed ones.

"If it means saving you from death, I would do anything," he said with a gentle voice. "I never considered you unworthy Kagome."

"Inuyasha...I...I..." Kagome said confused. _'Say it! Say you will marry him! Then you'll be able to stay here and think of a way to avenge your grandparents!'_ her mind screamed, but no matter how tempting it sounded, her heart told her that it wasn't the right thing to do.

_'I can't do it. It wouldn't be fair to Inuyasha.'_ she told herself.

_'But he said he'd do anything to save you!'_

_'The more reason I shouldn't take advantage of his feelings just because it's convenient for me.'_

Unwilling to sacrifice her very first friendship for the sake of revenge, Kagome pulled her hand out of his grasp and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do it. It's not right," she answered.

"I see..." he responded, but not before hiding the disappointment that crossed his face.

After a brief hush, he stood up resolutely, startling Kagome in the process. "Let's get going then, we don't have much time until dawn," he told her. "Dress yourself for the night and gather your belongings. I'll wait outside." That said, he turned to the exit and left the room.

-.-

_'I wonder if he's angry at me...'_ Kagome mused as she slipped out of her sleeping attire and reached out for a kimono she reserved for the colder days.

While gathering useful things for travel, she stumbled upon a thick gray hooded robe in the wardrobe, which, according to her memories, belonged to Kaguya. _'She probably won't even notice it's gone now that she can purchase whatever she likes.'_ she concluded inwardly and pulled it out of the wardrobe without second thought.

After securing it around her shoulders with a loose knot at her chest, she checked her belongings in the bag that was looped around her left shoulder. _'Okay, I'm all set.'_ she thought after a double check. Finally, she reached into her sleeve to her small pouch with the money she managed to save over the years. _'It's not much but I'm sure I can earn enough with my embroidery skills.'_

With that decided, she made her way to the sliding doors and pushed them open.

"You ready?" Inuyasha's voice asked her as soon as she stepped out of the room.

"Yeah," she nodded.

She was surprised when the hanyou suddenly turned his back to her and knelt down. "Hop on," she heard him say.

"You sure?" she asked hesitatingly.

"It's much faster this way. You wouldn't want the guards to notice us walking around in the mansion in the middle of the night, would you?"

Agreeing with him, Kagome climbed onto his back and looped her arms around his neck from behind.

"Hold on tight," he whispered over his shoulder to her and jumped into the dark cloudy sky.

"It's going to rain soon," he said as they made a high leap from one roof to another.

The altitude caused Kagome to tighten her grip as she reassured him. "Don't worry, this robe and the forest will offer me enough protection."

-.-

After a while, the roof-jumping ended and they made a final leap over the walls protecting the fortress. Kagome let out a relieved sigh as they made contact with the floor again.

"What? You thought I would let you fall?" Inuyasha grumbled as he gently set her down.

Kagome responded with a soft chuckle and turned to the closed gates located near them. It seemed only yesterday that she and Kaguya entered the fortress through them and now she was going to leave again.

Her reminiscing thoughts ended abruptly when the hanyou suddenly pushed something into her hand.

Bewilderment registered on her face as she looked at the object in her hand. _'...eh?'_ She realized it was a small pouch by its texture and shape, but its weight told her that she could probably buy herself a new place to live with its content. She turned to Inuyasha with widened eyes. "I couldn't possible accept this..." she said as she handed it back to him.

"Keep it, you'll need it more than I do," he replied, with no intention of taking it from her.

Kagome looked down at the pouch and back at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, I..." she began, desperately trying to find the words to reply. And before she knew it, she found herself hugging him with tears running down her cheeks. "You've done so much for me...and yet I..." she sobbed softly. She felt his arms circle around her body and pull her closer to him, but she found herself unable to push him away.

It was the least she could do for him.

After a brief moment, the two pulled away at the same time and stared at each other in silence.

"Well, you could start by thanking me," Inuyasha suddenly flashed her a warm smile.

Kagome dried her tears with the back of her hand and smiled in return. "Thank you Inuyasha, for everything. I will never forget about you."

"You better not forget about me. I'm practically risking my life to help you escape," he laughed. "Now off you go, before anybody finds out you're missing."

Reluctantly, Kagome broke her gaze and turned to the woods. At its entrance, she quickly turned to Inuyasha again. "I'm only borrowing this, remember that!" she told him, waving her hand holding the money pouch he gave her. "I'll definitely return it someday!"

The hanyou grinned in response. "I'll be looking forward to that day!"

After waving goodbye, Kagome turned around for the last time and made a sprint into the dark forest.

-.-

_'Please be safe...'_ he prayed inwardly as he watched her disappear into the shadows of the trees. Shortly after that, he turned his back to the woods and leaped over the fortress walls to land in the courtyard before the mansion.

As he shuffled his way through it, a sudden rustling caught his keen hearing and he darted his eyes around cautiously. "Who goes there!" he growled and sniffed the air. _'A human? No, it's different...it's almost like...a hanyou...?' _he thought at the confusing scent. But before he could determine its identity, it disappeared with another rustling sound.

_'Was it just my imagination?'_ he wondered. _'Or was it just my fatigue playing with my senses?'_

He ran to the place where the rustling came from, but there was no trace of the thing or person. Even its scent had disappeared completely, as if it was never there from the beginning. After a while, he eventually gave up searching.

_'It could've been an animal...'_ he shrugged and continued his way towards the mansion.

-.-

Not long after she entered the woods, the rain that Inuyasha predicted came pouring down. Fortunately, the density of the leaves and branches was high enough to block most of the water from the sky.

With one hand securing the hood of her robe over her head, Kagome increased her pace over the moist forest floor.

_'The heavens must love teasing me...'_ she thought annoyed as she wiped away some water from her face with her other hand. They took away her grandparents but gave her a chance to avenge them and then they took it away again. They allowed her a friendship with Inuyasha, only to severe it again at a moment that couldn't be more unfortunate. Now they granted her a chance to escape death, but couldn't resist pestering her with the powers of nature. She was really getting tired of this game.

_'When does the suffering stop...?'_ she wailed inside. The rain that had begun to damp her robe and her kimono transformed the winds into arctic knives and she felt as though parts of her body was being sliced away with every passing breeze.

A long crack in the leafy ceiling allowed her a temporary view of the dark sky, but long enough for her to see a thin beam of lightning crossing the clouds. It didn't take long before the sound of thunder roared through the skies.

A couple of seconds later, the heavens sent another strike down towards the Earth. This time, the beam of light landed only several yards away from where Kagome was and she halted herself abruptly. _'Trying to smite me!' _she mentally cried to the heavens. _'If so, you should do something about your aiming! Shouldn't be too hard right? Since you've been doing that to me ever since I was born!'_

As if the heavens heard her taunting, another lightning beamed down from the clouds. It struck the earth several trees away and instantly inflamed the nearest tree.

_'You missed me again!'_ Kagome laughed inwardly as she gazed at the blazing trunk. Her mental amusement stopped when a sudden silhouette cut through her vision from the side. At that very moment, as if time stood still for her sake, she caught a glimpse of its identity before it disappeared into the darkness again. She widened her eyes in disbelief. _'No...it couldn't...S-Sesshoumaru...?'_ she thought aghast. _'Did he follow me?'_ She froze at the possibility of him finding out about her escape and trying to hunt her down.

The shock of seeing her antagonist subsided in the long moment that followed, along with the flames that was subdued by the merciless rain. Slowly, she began to notice things that contradicted her initial assumption. The haste that accompanied his movement, the unlikely chance that he could've missed her with his keen senses and his rather unprepared condition for nocturnal pursuit. It all pointed at one thing. He wasn't pursuing her and nor was she being hunted.

_'He's running away from something!'_ she realized with widened eyes. Without giving it another thought, she dashed into the direction the dog demon went, causing her hood to fall to her shoulders.

Within seconds, her long raven hair was just as damp as the bark of the surroundings trees, but she didn't care. What was the dog demon running away from? And why? What had happened back at the fortress? She wanted to know.

But more importantly, it might be her only chance to catch the bastard off guard. If it's an opportunity granted by the heavens, then there was no way she would let it slip away that easily.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
A bit late again with updating, but this one's much longer than the previous chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it! I know the spoiler given in the previous chapter didn't quite correspond to the actual content of this chapter, but that's because I wrote it after the spoiler. Don't worry, the spoiler below for the next chapter does give you a good idea of what to expect :). 

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The day she wavered**

-.-

So what did the Sage do to Sesshoumaru to make him run away like that? And what would be causing Kagome to waver in her decision? Curious huh? Then you should definitely read the next installment!

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

**hanyou**: half-demon  
**futon**: a thin mattress, usually filled with layers of cotton batting and encased in cotton fabric, placed on a floor for sleeping, especially in traditional Japanese interiors, and folded and stored during the day (from Dictionairydotcom)  
**-sama**: honorific suffix added to one's name  
**yukata**: a Japanese dressing gown or lounging robe of soft, lightweight cotton (from Dictionairydotcom).

-.-.-.-

Posted: 10 October 2006  
Last Edited: 10 October 2006  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	7. The fated day of punishment II

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The fated day of punishment II**

He regarded the feasting crowd with a bored look on his face. Not a single person, not even his new mate, seemed to catch his interest. However, it did occur to him that the obnoxious human servant was missing from the mass.

Without catching anyone's attention, he beckoned his loyal subject to his side.

"You mean Kaguya-sama's maid? She excused herself from the feast just a moment ago, saying she was going to retire for the night," Jaken replied.

_'Retired for the night huh?' _he thought amused as he dismissed the green servant with a swift gesture.

His eyes traveled to the demoness, who had left his side to keep a group of male wolf demons company. Strangely enough, it was her attire that caught his eyes first instead of the indecent close proximity between them. The needlework of the tiny little flowers was truly magnificent; its skill was far above any tailor he had met.

Almost immediately, he made a small face at his own thoughts. Why was he still being bothered with her even in her absence? He should be focusing on restoring their family honor instead.

With that thought in his mind, his eyes shifted from the gown to his mate again. This time, he felt his blood boil as he noticed an unfamiliar hand resting on her waist. _'Insolence!'_ he growled inwardly and stood up from his seat.

"Sesshoumaru?" he heard his father call out to him through the noise.

"I'm retiring for the night," he tossed over his shoulders before merging himself with the crowd.

Fortunately, he didn't have to kill anybody standing in his way as most of them backed off as soon as they saw him.

Within a couple of seconds, he was standing right behind the demoness. It took the wolves a moment to realize his presence, but as soon as they did, they ran away with their tails between their legs.

"W-where are you guys going?!" Kaguya cried after them. She pouted like a child when none of them seemed to respond. "Aw! No fun at all!"

When she realized everybody was looking at her, she scowled and flashed them a disdainful look. "What are you looking at?! Never seen a lady of the West this pretty?"

Sesshoumaru waited until she turned around to him before frowning at her. But much to his annoyance, she didn't seem to notice his displeasure.

"Oh Sesshoumaru-sama!" she squealed with her high-pitched voice. "Those wolves, they were mean to me. Be sure to punish them for me afterwards okay?"

The dog demon averted his face at the sickening scent of alcohol coming from his mate. "We're retiring for the night," he stated with a low voice and turned to leave.

"Okay!" said the demoness and she followed him obediently out of the room.

-.-

Sesshoumaru took in a calm breath of the nocturnal air as they distanced themselves from the noisy main building. The stench of countless demons and servants in that hideously small space nearly suffocated him. Not to mention the overwhelming smell of alcohol.

A disapproving expression registered on his face as he stole a sidelong glance at his mate, who was silently walking beside him. _'Don't ever think you would qualify to rule alongside me.'_ He told her in his thoughts. _'This Sesshoumaru rules alone. Your only purpose is to bear me healthy and pureblooded descendants.'_

The truth was, he couldn't wait for the day where he could put her in isolation to let her focus solely on her breeding task. _'Disobedience will only result in death…´_ he thought to himself. _'Perhaps I'll get rid of her as soon as my descendants mature…'_

As his mind settled on the thought, he allowed himself to enjoy the quietness for the rest of the promenade.

The calmness was interrupted when Kaguya suddenly clung to his right arm. "Kya! A rat!!" she shrieked and pointed at the dark floor near their feet.

Sesshoumaru looked at her indifferently before dropping his gaze. When he realized she was telling the truth, he summoned his green whip and swiped it at the rodent. He raised his brows when it hit the floor next to it, causing it to escape in fear. _'I missed?'_ he thought surprised. _'Come to think of it, I wasn't even aware of its presence until Kaguya pointed at it.' _

With an indifferent shrug, he shook off the discomfort and ran a hand through his silver hair. _'It must be the long exposure to the alcoholic odors…'_ he reassured himself.

His thoughts were cut off when the demoness spoke again. "There's your room!" She happily bobbed to a pair of sliding doors across them.

"You drank too much," stated Sesshoumaru with a sigh as he approached another pair of panels next to Kaguya's.

"I'm not drunk! I only drank a little bit!" she pouted in response, but not before launching herself at his arm again. "And you…" she sniffed and giggled. "…you smell funny, you know that?"

Ignoring her rants, Sesshoumaru slid the doors open, revealing a dimly-lit bedroom.

As soon as they entered, the demoness left his side and approached one of the oil lamps illuminating the place. "I don't like the lights. You wouldn't mind me putting them out, would you?" she asked with a seductive smile. "It's not like we need them to see each other…right?"

"Do as you wish," Sesshoumaru grumbled coldly.

When everything turned black before his eyes all of a sudden, he quickly turned to Kaguya. "What did you do?!" he growled angrily.

"I only blew out the lights, why are you so angry?" replied her voice from a totally different direction.

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes in shock. _'She wasn't standing there before! Why didn't I sense that?' _

"Well? Why are you still standing there, love?" she broke the silence again. "Oh I know…you want me to help you undress…don't you?"

The dog demon squinted his eyes at where her giggling came from and quickly took a step backward when he saw her shadow emerge in the darkness. "Don't!" he barked, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? What's wr-"

"Do NOT follow me…stay here," he cut across her before turning around. After hastily leaving the room, he quickly closed the doors behind him.

After making sure nobody was around, he made his way toward one of the torches standing in the nearby garden.

A wall of shock hit him as he gazed down at his hands. _'My claws!! T-they're…'_ he thought appalled at the sight of the perfectly rounded nails at each tip of his fingers. When he ran his tongue over his teeth, he realized that his fangs were gone as well. _'What's happening to me?!' _

Unable to accept what he was seeing, he stepped away from the flames and hid himself behind some tall shrubbery.

_'My fangs and claws…and my demon senses are failing me…No…it can't be…'_ Cautiously, he ran a hand through his hair and held them before his eyes. They filled with terror as he found himself gazing at tresses as dark as the night itself and he quickly let of go of them as if he had burned his hand.

A pained look appeared on his face as he realized his tail was no longer resting on his right shoulder. _'I…I can't let anyone see me like this…I have to get out of here!' _he decided with the last bit of sanity left inside him.

The proud Sesshoumaru, lord of the Western Lands, had turned into a disgusting human. He stifled a laugh at the sheer irony of it. And all he wanted was restoring the pure bloodline in their family, which now seemed like a faraway dream.

He gazed up at the high walls before him. _'There's no way I can jump over it in my current state…'_ he realized in agony. _'The only way out would be the gates…'_

Without a moment to lose, he started running alongside the wall. _'If I follow these walls to the South, I'll eventually end up at the gates.'_

A wave of relief filled his mind when the fortress' gates came in view and he slowed down until he reached one of the trees standing at the border of the main courtyard.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the closed gates. _'If only someone would leave or enter the fortress right now…'_

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity in the cold air, the dog demon gave up and left the protective shadows of the tree. _'It's no use waiting. Nobody would leave or enter this place at this hour. I better slip through the gates before any of the guards return…'_ He concluded and took a step forward.

But before he could take another step, a sudden presence descended from above and landed in the middle of the courtyard. Sesshoumaru quickly jumped forward and hid himself behind one of the lower bushes. He cursed inwardly when his long black sleeves brushes against its leaves in the process.

"Who goes there?!" the person cried alarmed.

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes as he immediately recognized the voice, and turned to the courtyard. _'Inuyasha?! What is he doing here??'_ he thought shocked. Fortunately, the hanyou didn't seem to have realized where he was hiding, but the dog demon knew it was only a matter of time he found out.

The first time in his life, he felt trapped. And now that Inuyasha had suddenly showed up, the situation did not favor him at all.

It was then that a sudden movement of one of the gates caught his attention. He quickly darted his eyes to Inuyasha, but the hanyou seemed to be more occupied with locating him than the bizarre, soundless activity of the entrance.

Not giving it another thought, Sesshoumaru jumped forward and slipped through the opening that was barely wide enough for him.

As soon as he left the perimeters of the fortress, he threw a quick glance behind him, only to find a stranger standing right behind the opened gate. He stopped in his tracks and turned to the individual. "You are?" he inquired with narrowed eyes.

The stranger was robed from head to toe with a long black cloak and his or her identity was hidden underneath a large hood. But even if the hood was pulled down, it was still too dark for him to distinguish any features.

"Just go," the robed one coaxed with a female voice.

Surprised as he was to find out it was actually a woman, Sesshoumaru took the advice nevertheless and turned away without sparing her another glance.

_'That voice…where have I heard it before?'_ he mused as he increased his pace into the woods.

His thoughts were cut off when some raindrops collided with his forehead and he glareds at the clouds above. Much to his annoyance, the soft sprinkling turned into a harsh downpour within the next couple of minutes and he began to feel the icy winds seep through his attire along with the rain. Every tiny drop felt like hail against his stiff and cold skin. Almost instantly, he scolded himself for not changing into his armor before leaving.

Just when he was beginning to lose his sense of direction, a flash of lightning soared through the sky and lit up his environment. _´This is the direction of the Southern border…'_ he contemplated. He hadn't really decided where to go yet. His father would definitely dispatch a legion to find him, so staying in a nearby city wasn't the best solution.

The second bolt hit a tree in a distance to his left and set it ablaze in an instant.

Deciding that it would be a nice source of light in the darkness, Sesshoumaru changed directions and started running towards the burning tree. _'I'll see where I end up in the morning, the most important thing right now is to get away as far as possible from the fortress.'_ he decided.

As the light became brighter, a forgotten thought suddenly emerged in the dog demon's mind again. _'The woman at the gates, I have met her before...'_ he pondered, desperately trying to remember when and where exactly.

The recollection was once again interrupted when his heart started throbbing inside his head. He, the newly crowned demon lord was started to become infected with the despicable human ailments. It was almost too ridiculous to be true.

Neglecting the alerts his body was giving him, he forced his legs to keep moving over the muddy forest floor. _'Just a little bit further…'_ he gritted his teeth.

The moment he dashed past the flames, a surge of memories suddenly surfaced and a familiar voice began to repeat itself in his mind.

_"You will regret defying me. You have disobeyed the laws of Fate and committed a serious crime. Therefore, you shall be punished. You will not be forgiven until you have deemed yourself worthy of my mercy."_

Sesshoumaru stopped running and slammed his fist on the wet bark of a nearby tree as the voice in his head stopped talking. _'The cursed Sage…´_ he remembered furiously. _'It was her at the gates..!'_

He felt his blood boil in anger as he realized he had been playing by her rules all this time. _'She must still be there!'_ he growled inwardly. He turned around to the direction of the fortress, but ended up grabbing the same tree for support as a wave of dizziness took him by surprise. _'T-that wench...this is all her doing...she set me up...'_

As he forcefully shook away the nausea , he suddenly caught a presence standing partly hidden behind a tree before him.

The dense rain blurred his vision, but he could still distinguish a long dark robe in the silhouette. As his eyes traveled upward, he realized that the face of the robed one was no longer hidden beneath the hood. At that moment, another streak of lightning lifted the dark veil covering the forest and Sesshoumaru widened his eyes as it revealed a familiar face framed by curly white bangs.

It was merely a second but he could clearly see her grinning at him.

"See? I told you you would regret defying me." Her arctic voice echoed in his head as soon as the darkness separated them again.

"You!" he growled, which came out more as a pant. "I will kill..."

He reached out his hand to her, but before he could make his legs move, a second wave of dizziness hit him and knocked away the remaining consciousness in him. "...you..." he panted before the last bit of strength drained out of his body.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Again, sorry for the late update (and short too...). I know its title doesn't correspond with the one I presented at the end of the previous chapter, but that's because I thought this title was more fitting. In the past couple of months, I had been busy with finding myself a company where I could conduct a thesis project (so I could graduate). I got myself an internship position about three weeks ago, but then the onboarding and the writing of the project proposal kept me busy. Fortunately, things are starting to settle down a bit. Thus, I'll have more time to write fanfics again! Hope you liked this chapter, please review after reading to let me know what you think okay? Thanks a bunch!! 

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The day she began to waver**

-.-

Okay, no more shifting of titles, I promise. Anyhow, remember that Kagome was chasing Sesshoumaru in the previous chapter? What will she do when she finds him? Will she quench her thirst for revenge and take this one-in-a-lifetime chance to finish off the defenseless dog demon?

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

**hanyou:** half demon  
**-sama: **honorific suffix added to the name of one whom you respect

-.-.-.-

Posted: 9 December 2006  
Last Edited: 9 December 2006  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	8. The day she began to waver

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The day she began to waver**

Not sure whether it was fear or simple the freezing temperature that had gotten her paralyzed, she just stood there, staring at the still form lying on the floor before her.

While the voice in her head kept telling her to run, her eyes slowly traced the vague outlines of the head, hoping her eyes would be able to pierce through the darkness and identify the person without moving any closer.

Actually, she wasn't too sure if it really was the demon lord since she only caught a glimpse of his silhouette earlier at the blazing tree. It was unmistakably his voice that spoke just now, but it didn't explain why he would be out here in the rain, completely unarmed.

_'Is he…dead?'_ she wondered as she cautiously stepped out of her hiding spot.

Again, she tried to distinguish some features but she shook her head again. _'It's no use, there's no way I can get answers from this distance.'_ she contemplated and took several steps into the dog demon's direction.

There was a pregnant pause when she reached his side but eventually she knelt down to take a closer look. Reluctantly, she reached out her hand to his face, while at the same time readying herself to jump away any second.

_'He's still breathing…'_ she thought as she pulled back her arm to her side. A wave of mixed emotions emerged in her mind as she stared at the dark figure. _'What should I do now?' _

_'This is the chance you've been waiting for! Why are you hesitating?'_ the voice in her head told her.

_'Yes, I have been wanting to pay him back for what he did ever since that day 15 years ago…now it might be my only chance.'_ she agreed inwardly. With no witnesses around, this was practically the perfect moment. But then why does the idea of taking his life in his current condition repulse her so? Was she becoming lenient? Was her hatred not deep enough?

_'No, that's not it.'_ She shook her head and stood up. _'If I finish him off now, I would be no different than him.'_

With that she walked away from him to a nearby tree and settled down on one of its roots. _'I need to rest…'_ she decided inwardly as her body reminded her of the lack of sleep she accumulated ever since she started working on Kaguya's gown.

Fortunately, the rain lessened shortly after she sat down and she leaned against the tree with her shoulder. Her eyelids grew heavier by the minute but she forced herself to stay awake by slapping her cheeks with both hands. _'At least until sunrise…'_ she told herself as she pulled her cloak closer to her body and curled up a little. The urge to fall asleep was overwhelming and extremely tempting, but she couldn't let her guard down when her enemy is so near, even if he is unconscious.

_'Please let it be dawn soon…' _

-.-

It wasn't until the first signs of daybreak beamed in her face that she realized she had dozed off. _'Where am I?'_ she thought, looking around. _'Why am I sleeping out in the forest?' _

Immediately after the thought, realizations began to dawn in and she quickly jumped to her feet.

While her face darted to the left and right, her eyes desperately tried to locate a patch of silver and white. _'Last night, I fled from the fortress with Inuyasha's help…' _she remembered. _'And not long after that, I saw Sesshoumaru running past me…so I followed. After a while he suddenly stopped and turned around, and then he…' _Her eyes lowered to where the dog demon had collapsed and widened in shock.

Exactly on the same spot where she had last seen him, she found a completely different person lying outstretched on the forest floor with his stomach down.

Unlike the dog demon, this person had long dark hair with a shade matching her own spilled over his back and covering his face that was lying on the side. _'It wasn't him last night??'_ she thought confused as she gazed at the rounded nails of the hand that was pointing at where she stood last night. _'But it was definitely his voice…'_

Unable to solve the mystery, she carefully made her way to the stranger's side and bent her knees. "Are you okay?" she asked. Her only reply was the deep, irregular breaths coming from below the thick locks of hair.

Hesitatingly, Kagome reached out her hand and brushed them out of his face. After removing the last couple of strands, a surge of shock stunned her as she found herself looking at the dog demon.

"Se-Sesshoumaru?!" she gasped appalled and quickly jumped away.

The markings on his forehead and cheeks were gone, but there was no mistaking it. It was Sesshoumaru.

_'What happened to him? Did something happen back at the fortress?'_ she mentally debated, almost instantly worrying about her hanyou friend.

Her eyes shifted back to Sesshoumaru. _'No tail, no claws, no markings…he's just like a normal human being…' _

Slowly, she crouched down beside him again and reached out to his forehead. _'Fever…'_ she concluded with her other hand checking her own body temperature. _'If I leave him here, he might die…' _

_'Then leave him. You're not planning to save him, are you?'_

_'I'm not,'_ she bit back.

_'Then what are you waiting for?' _

Kagome fell silent for a moment. "I want to know what happened back at the fortress," she finally said.

_'But he'll kill you when he wakes up.'_

"I'll make sure he won't."

-.-

"Well, well, don't you look pathetic?"

_'Who's there?!'_

"Aw, have you forgotten about me already? Such a shame, especially since I was the one who saved you from being caught by your cute little brother."

_'You! You wench!!'_

"Now, now, no need to flatter me right now. You still have a long way to go before you deserve my forgiveness. I will be watching you from here on…but then again…I always have, haven't I? Hahaha."

Sesshoumaru's eyes shot open in anger, but they closed again as the broad daylight sent a sharp pain through his head.

_'Where am I?'_ he thought fuzzy. As he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting in the shadows of a tall tree and leaning against its trunk behind him. With the sound of trees and birds surrounding him, it didn't take very long for him to realize he was in the middle of the forest. But the Sage was nowhere to be found.

He was about to stand up until something around his torso squeezed the air out of his lungs and forced him to sit back on the grass.

_'What the-'_ He shot a glare at his chest, only to find several rings of rope circling around his body. He traced them until they disappeared behind the tree behind him. _'Who did this?!' _he thought alarmed.

"Oh you're awake," a voice spoke from behind him.

Sesshoumaru darted his eyes to the side and widened them in shock as they met the dark brown orbs of Kaguya's servant. "You!" he hissed with a hoarse voice. _'What is she doing here?? Of all people, why her?!' _

"Here," she cut him off by pushing the edge of a large leaf folded into a bowl against his dry lips. "It's water."

Instinctively, Sesshoumaru began to gulp down the cold liquid contained within.

"Take it easy, it's all yours," he heard her say.

Immediately, he reminded himself of his situation and he jerked his mouth away in anger, causing the bowl to fall out of the girl's hands to the grass.

"What are you doing!? Have you got any idea how far I had to walk to find water?!?" she cried with wide eyes.

"Untie me, wench," Sesshoumaru snarled in reply, ignoring the tiny pang of guilt that hit him briefly.

"You'd wish, I'm not stupid you know," snapped the servant.

"You didn't tie me up and wait the entire night for me to wake up just to tell me that did you?" countered Sesshoumaru.

"No, I didn't."

An impatient look registered on his face as he narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here? My servant told me you retired early for the night during the feast."

-.-

There was a brief moment of silence before Kagome parted her lips to answer. "I left the fortress shortly after I retreated to my quarters."

"You fled from the fortress." he corrected her.

Kagome scowled. "Yes I fled! As soon as I realized that your only reason to rush the ceremony was to kill me."

She became even more annoyed when an amused look registered on his face. "Don't give yourself too much credit wench," he said.

"Shut up!" snapped Kagome. "I should be the one asking questions here! What happened back at the fortress?"

"You were only a small part of the reasons-"

"What happened back at the fortress Sesshoumaru?!" she cut him off angrily.

She saw a mix of surprise and displeasure on the former dog demon's face, but it disappeared quickly behind the narrowing eyes. "I'm not obliged to tell you."

Kagome crossed her arms and flashed him an expectant look. "Oh? I don't think you have a choice," she told him. "Unless you don't mind spending the rest of your life here in the forest, that is."

No reply.

"It's your choice," she eventually shrugged and turned her back to him. "Your body is still burning with fever, there's no way you can untie the ropes yourself. But perhaps your loyal subjects at the fortress can find you before the forest demons do."

It wasn't until she reached the third tree away from him that he finally responded.

"Nothing happened back at the fortress."

Kagome turned around to him with slightly widened eyes. "What? What do you mean 'nothing'?"

-.-

The confusion on her face was truly amusing. So he thought as he gazed up at the approaching girl.

It all made sense to him now. Her early retreat to her room and the hanyou suddenly showing up in the courtyard in the middle of the night; the timing was too perfect to be just a coincidence.

"Or should I say: nothing happened to your dear Inuyasha-sama?" he added after a while.

"He's got nothing to do with this!" she argued.

"There's no way a mere human could walk out of our fortress that easily without any help," he reasoned. As he said that, he was immediately reminded of his own situation and how he got out with the Sage's help. He quickly shook off the thoughts and continued. "I saw him on my way out…helping a servant escape is something only that foolish brother of mine would do."

"Well at least he's not a cold-blooded murderer like you!" defended the girl.

Sesshoumaru raised a brow at this, but before he could comment on it, she quickly changed the subject again.

"So you're the only one affected, huh? Any idea who's behind it and why?"

He leaned back and averted his gaze to avoid the question, but when the servant didn't look like she was going to back off any time soon, he turned to her again. "Mind your own business wench."

"The name's Kagome," she snarled.

A silent battle emerged between them as they quietly stared into each other's eyes.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes when she started walking to the rear of the tree he was tied against. "Don't try anything stupid, wench, or else-"

The rest of the sentence got stuck in his throat when the rope around his torso suddenly loosened. With a bewildered look on his face, he waited until the girl reappeared before him again. "Why did you untie me?" he asked while pushing the rope aside.

There was a brief pause before she answered. "First of all, a deal is a deal. I wanted answers before untying you and you gave them to me." She flicked back some raven strands over her robed shoulder. "And second of all, even if you really intend to kill me, I'm pretty sure I can outrun you in your current condition."

Sesshoumaru growled, but the girl didn't look intimidated at all.

"Besides, if you wanted to kill me, you would have done it a long time ago," she added.

"Don't push your luck wench," he barked back.

"Say what you want, I'm leaving," she shrugged and pulled the hood of her cloak over her raven head. "You can stay here until you starve or die of fever. Just remember that I am a free person now and am no longer serving you or Kaguya!"

With that, she turned her back to him and started walking away.

Sesshoumaru stared at her back in silence. He hated to admit it but she was right about her being able to outrun him. His body was aching everywhere. He was trembling in cold but his skin was practically burning.

_'Cursed human disease…'_ he thought as he slowly pushed himself up from the floor.

What should he do now? He can't go back and he can't let anyone from the fortress find him in his current form. Is it just like the girl says? Will he die of this dreadful fever?

-.-

Kagome placed a hand over her chest as she distanced herself from the former dog demon. Her heart was thumping like crazy in her hand. _'Don't look back, keep walking…'_ she told herself inwardly.

Actually, she wasn't too sure whether she could outrun him. After sleeping for one night, he could have regained some strength.

As she thought that, she noticed a pair of footsteps nearing her from behind.

_'Maybe you should run now…'_ the voice in her head said.

Just when she was about to sprint forward, a soft thug in the grass made her halt her step.

_'The footsteps have stopped…'_ she realized and hesitatingly tossed a look over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she found Sesshoumaru on his hands and knees in the muddy forest floor behind her.

She turned around and walked closer to him. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked with a worried tone, completely forgetting whom she was dealing with.

After bending down to his level, Kagome almost instantly became aware of the dangerously close proximity between them and froze. _'What am I doing?! If I stay like this…he could just reach out his hand and -'_

Her train of thoughts crashed when she met his eyes.

They used to convey nothing but indifference with their gold-amber glow, but now she could see all sorts of emotions in the dark hazel. He didn't say anything but his eyes told her he was suffering and needed help.

_'Is that why he is following me?'_ Kagome pondered, but before she could come to an answer, the former dog demon suddenly collapsed onto her lap.

"What are you doing?! Get off of me!!" she shrieked in panic as she tried to pull her legs away from underneath his weight.

She attempted to push him away but stopped as soon as her hands came in contact with his skin.

_'He's burning up…'_ she thought while retracting her hands.

_'Leave him.'_

Kagome remained unmoved. She got an answer from him so there's no reason to remain here anymore. But why couldn't she find the strength to stand up and walk away? Was it because of the despair in his eyes? She quietly shook off the misleading thoughts and carefully pushed Sesshoumaru from her lap.

After taking a deep breath, she finally stood up. _'He doesn't deserve to be pitied.'_ She convinced herself and turned to walk away.

When she was just about to reach a distance where she could no longer see Sesshoumaru or hear any of his cries for help, Kagome had to refrain herself from sparing him another glance. _'Don't look back.'_ She told herself again and proceeded further into the woods.

At that very moment, a blinding flash lit up the forest, causing her to halt her step. She gazed up through the trees at the horrifying dark clouds that began to consume the clear sky. It wasn't even mid-afternoon and yet it felt as though it was already evening.

Kagome clenched her fists when a couple of drops of rain landed on her face. _'Are you telling me to help him??'_ she cried in her thoughts. She trembled as a blast of thunder roared through the skies, which announced the beginning of another massive downpour that followed shortly.

Hesitatingly, she turned around and gazed silently at the figure on the muddy forest floor in a distance.

-.-

Sesshoumaru was brought out of his deep slumber by a soft crackling sound not very far away. His eyes slowly opened, only to find a rocky ceiling above him, which was softly illuminated by a small fire nearby.

He realized he was lying inside a cavern of some sort and by the frequency of the tapping sound echoing through it, he knew it was pouring rain again outside.

But who carried him here?

He halted his thoughts as he caught a shuffling sound coming from the direction of the fire.

By the sound of it, he concluded that who or whatever it was, the stranger was too occupied with something else to notice that he was already awake. Surreptitiously, he turned his head to where the noise came from and squinted his eyes at the light of the flames. It didn't take long before he found what he was looking for.

The stranger, who turned out to be female, was sitting with her back to him in the back of the cavern. A dark garment lay on the floor behind her and she seemed to be rummaging something in front of her.

Sesshoumaru froze when he caught a glimpse of the side of her face as she flicked some of her long dark locks over her shoulder.

It was the servant he despised so much, but he wasn't given any time to process the surprise as he realized she was actually undressing herself. And before he had decided on what to do next, she had already discarded enough layers to reveal the bare skin of her shoulders. Sesshoumaru quickly shifted to face the other side of the cavern. In the process, he noticed some faint red scars covering her back behind her raven hair. Before he knew it, he already blurted out the question that came into mind.

"Where did you get those scars?"

-.-

Kagome gasped in shock at Sesshoumaru's voice and hurriedly pulled her clothes over her shoulders again.

A shiver ran through her body as she felt the cold wet fabric against her skin again, but it was soon mitigated by the anger growing inside her.

"How dare you?!" she hissed as she turned to him.

Sesshoumaru shifted to look at her with an indifferent look on his face.

"Were you pretending to be asleep the whole time?!"

"I awoke only a short moment ago, I had yet to confirm your identity and the reason why I find myself here," he stated plainly.

Kagome mentally smacked herself as she quickly dressed herself up again. _'As if somebody like him would find a human body worthy to look at, what was I even thinking?' _

While thinking that, she secured her damp cloak around her shoulders. _'Even so, I'd rather freeze to death than change clothes in his presence. I'll just sit closer to the fire.'_

She scooted closer to the flames, but stayed away from it far enough so that the flames couldn't reach her attire. When she stole a glance at the former dog demon, she realized he was still looking at her. "What?" she frowned.

"You haven't answered my question," said Sesshoumaru.

"Why do you care?" she snapped back.

He shifted to face the ceiling. _'Yes, why do I even care? Why did I feel uneasy at the sight of those scars?'_ he mused inwardly. These human emotions were really annoying. _'If only my demon blood were still intact.'_

As if his human body protested against his thoughts, he felt his painstaking headache returning again. _'Damn this fever…'_ he cursed with his teeth gritted together.

The pain was about to drive him mad when he felt a cold sensation suddenly landing on his forehead.

With his eyes half-open of the pain, he glanced sideward to find Kagome sitting beside him. "Why are you doing this?" he asked her. "Do you not hate me? Why are you helping me?"

"You're awfully talkative when you're human," Kagome huffed. "What happened to the stoic and proud Sesshoumaru I loathe so much? Or are you perhaps getting used to your human form?"

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as he furrowed his brows. "Shut up wench."

Kagome silently waited until he fell asleep before her eyes shifted to his forehead, where one of her hands was resting.

Having carried him all the way to this cavern through the harsh rain and arctic winds, her hands were just as effective as any other cloth rinsed in cold water.

She waited until her hand absorbed enough heat radiating from Sesshoumaru's forehead and carefully replaced it with her other hand.

It wasn't really her intention to taunt him earlier, but it was the only way to stop him from asking any more questions. Questions even she didn't know the answers of herself.

_'I could've just left him, why did I turn back?'_ she asked herself in bewilderment.

Perhaps even more puzzling was that somewhere deep inside, she actually felt relieved that she didn't walk away.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Happy new year everyone!! May the year of the Pig bring you good fortune!! 

I hope you didn't find this chapter too boring hehe. I promise the next one will contain a bit more tension. I'm still busy with my thesis, hence the infrequent updates, sorry about that! Anyhow, please review after reading and let me know what you think okay? Thanks!

Sorry for not replying to your reviews this time!! When I finished writing this chapter, I realized I hadn't replied to all your reviews yet... so I thought it's better to just post this chapter instead this time! But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate them! Please keep writing them! Their wonderful :)!

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap / change of perspective

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: His first days as human**

-.-

Sounds interesting no? Please look forward to the next chapter!!

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

I don't think I used any words in this chapter that I haven't explained (countless times) in my previous chapters :). I wonder when I started using less and less Japanese words haha.

-.-.-.-

Posted: 7 January 2007  
Last Edited: 7 January 2007  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	9. His first days as human

**Sage under the moon**

-by Kittymui-**  
**

** His first days as human**

When Sesshoumaru opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the flickering shades of fire that filled the cavern walls.

He lifted a hand to his forehead. _'The headache…is gone…'_ he thought half-awake. _'How long have I slept?'_

With the bits of strength he had regained during his rest, he slowly pushed himself up and waited until the remaining drowsiness ebbed away from his mind.

"How are you feeling?"

He darted his eyes to the voice until he saw Kagome. She was still sitting near the fire with her dark cloak on and the hood let down.

"Why are you still here?" he grumbled.

Kagome refused to turn to him as she replied coolly. "I had hoped for the storm to calm down sooner, but as you can see, it's already too late for me to set out for the nearest village."

She cast him a sidelong glance. "Don't worry; we'll be parting ways as soon as morning arrives."

"Hmphf," was Sesshoumaru's reply as he refused to exchange glances with her. He widened his eyes when a loud rumbling escaped his lower abdomen and echoed through the cavern.

"You sound famished."

He glared daggers at her but again it didn't have the effect he wanted.

"Which is natural of course since it's your first real day as a human being," she continued indifferently. "After all, you haven't eaten anything since you've changed, right?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "Shut up."

The pregnant pause that followed was soon interrupted by another loud complaint by his body.

He scowled when he caught a pair of bare feet walking into his direction and immediately looked up in anger. "Go away!" he barked.

Instead of listening to him, Kagome calmly knelt down and placed something on the floor before his feet. "I may be human, but at least I know how to survive," she said and settled down at a safe distance from him.

Sesshoumaru reluctantly dropped his gaze, only to find a piece of bark containing several edible looking items. Surprisingly enough, they didn't smell as unpleasant as they looked and eventually, he picked up something that resembled a mushroom.

-.-

Kagome glanced sidelong at his hesitant expression while staring at the shiitake in his hand. "It's not poisonous if that's what you're thinking," she muttered. After hours of gathering, the least he could do is appreciate the food by eating it.

She stared at him impatiently until he finally took a small bite and started chewing. The look on his face showed how much he disliked it, but much to her surprise, it didn't stop him from taking another bite. _'Well at least he's eating it.'_ she thought satisfied as she watched him work his way through the last pieces. _'After tonight, you'll be on your own to survive,'_ she told him silently. She just hoped she would be able to leave him when the time comes.

-.-

The scent of the charcoal still lingered in the cavern when Kagome made her way to the bright exit.

She took in a breath of fresh air after the rain and stretched her arms. As soon as she heard the grass below her boots, a small smile formed on her lips. It was good to see the sun glistening through the departing clouds.

The good mood was soon spoiled when she heard a pair of footsteps emerging from the cavern entrance behind her.

Without looking back, Kagome decisively started walking into a direction. _'The nearest village should be this way.'_ She thought to herself. In fact, as long as it didn't involve ending up back at the fortress, she didn't really care where she was headed.

She stopped in her thoughts when she realized that the footsteps were still following her and she turned around angrily. "I said we would be parting ways!" Her voice was loud and harsh but it faltered when she saw the look on his face. He was still in pain, she could tell. No normal human could recover from a fever in one night with so little nourishments and he was, after all, just a normal human being.

_'Don't step forward Kagome, don't you dare step forward and help him.'_

Kagome widened her eyes when Sesshoumaru started to wobble on his feet and she ran forward to catch him.

"Get your hands off of me wench!" he groaned and pulled away from her grasp.

"Just shut up will you?" she commanded.

She grabbed one of his arms by his sleeve and forcefully pulled it to rest on her shoulders. When she made sure she was supporting him correctly, she started walking again, pulling Sesshoumaru with her.

-.-

As they proceeded through the forest, Sesshoumaru noticed the familiar feeling of the girl supporting him like she did. Bits and pieces of the night before began to emerge in his thoughts and he started to remember how she had supported him through the rain before they reached the cavern.

His thoughts ended abruptly when the two of them failed to notice a piece of ruptured log on the muddy floor and bumped against it with their feet.

"Ow, ow, ow," Kagome wailed as she tried not to bend forward and grab her feet.

Instead of heeding the throbbing pain in his toes like she did, Sesshoumaru's attention was drawn by something else. During the whole toe-bumping process, he realized that her hand had slipped from holding his sleeve to holding his hand and he couldn't help but notice the coldness flowing from her skin to his.

He knew she must have felt the difference in their body temperatures too as her wailing suddenly stopped. He watched how her hand surreptitiously shifted to holding his sleeve again. She obviously didn't want him to have noticed that.

Perhaps even more amusing was how she tried to check if he was looking and quickly turned away in embarrassment after finding out that he had been watching all along.

Sesshoumaru frowned at his own thoughts. _'Amused by her? The human blood must be contaminating my mind.'_ He mused annoyed and looked away.

Kagome felt her cheeks burn as she mentally smacked herself. _'Baka, baka, baka! He was watching all along! Why did you have to look?!'_ She bit her lower lip and tried to calm down. _'Why am I feeling embarrassed? It was just an accident!'_

Her thoughts were cut off when Sesshoumaru suddenly started walking again and pulled her with him.

As soon as they walked side by side again, Sesshoumaru stole a quick glance at Kagome. He thought it was simply the reflection of the sunlight at first, but the brief exchange of glances earlier made it clear to him that it wasn't. Her face definitely looked paler than yesterday. Was she becoming ill as well?

He shook his head. _'Even if she was, why should I care?'_ he thought and remained silent for the rest of the walk.

-.-

"We would like to stay here for the night. Do you have any vacant rooms left?" Kagome asked as her eyes shifted from the busy diner of the lodge to the hostess behind the counter. Inside, she prayed for 'yes' as her answer as it was the only lodge in town.

The hostess was an elderly woman with long gray hair tied to a knot behind her head. She wore a plain brown kimono and a scarf made of sheep wool to protect her neck against the chilly breezes that entered through the entrance.

With the fall season consuming the Western Lands, it was only natural for people around them to wear thicker garments than usual. Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru who was only wearing the black outfit of his wedding. Perhaps that was the reason why they were receiving surprised glances from the townspeople ever since they arrived.

"Of course child," she replied with a friendly smile.

Kagome breathed a sigh in relief.

"Will you be sharing one room?"

The question took her by surprise and she gave the hostess a puzzled look. When she saw her looking at Sesshoumaru, who stood behind her but seemed to be occupied with something else, she finally realized what she meant. "Oh uhm…no…" she said semi-automatically.

"Two rooms it is then," the elder smiled and bent forward to the wooden abacus before her.

As Kagome watched her flick the small beads up and down, she suddenly reminded herself that she should be frugal with the money Inuyasha lent her and quickly slammed her hand on the frame set.

The hostess looked up from her messed up calculation and stared at her with slightly widened eyes.

"On second thought, we'll just have one room please," said Kagome, retracting her hand with an apologetic smile.

The woman eyed Sesshoumaru for a moment before turning to her again. "Are you sure dear?" she asked unsurely.

"Y-yes of course!" replied Kagome and grabbed her oblivious companion by his arm. "He's my…" Her voice faltered as a swarm of possible answers raced through her mind.

_'Father…mm no way. Brother…cousin…distant relative?'_

"…betrothed…" sprung the word from her lips.

The hostess blinked as she moved closer to her. "I'm sorry?"

Realizing what she had just said, Kagome placed a hand over her mouth in shock. She stole a quick glance at Sesshoumaru, who was shaken out of his reverie by what she said and staring at her with a horrified expression.

'_Oh no…now he's going to claim that we're in fact enemies and then the old lady would refuse to give us a room because we weren't honest and then…'_ she thought and glanced through the open entrance to the cloudy sky. _'There's no way I'm going to travel through a downpour again! I won't have it!'_

That decided, she tightened her grip around Sesshoumaru's arm and spoke before he could utter a word. "We're betrothed ma'am, that's why one room will do just fine."

-.-

As soon as the sliding doors closed behind them, Sesshoumaru jerked his arm from Kagome's grip and glared daggers at her.

"What are you doing you idiot! What if the hostess suddenly returned and saw that??" Kagome gasped and quickly placed her ears against the panels to check if the elder was at a safe distance.

She relaxed when the footsteps were heading downstairs.

"It's none of my concern wench," Sesshoumaru snarled annoyed. "This Sesshoumaru will not share one room with a lowly human."

"Well excuse me _lord_ Sesshoumaru, but should I remind you that you're no longer that full blood dog demon you used to be? So please drop that high and mightiness of yours and start behaving like a human! As much as I hate sharing a room with you, I'm still sane enough to save the money for more essential things. You know, without money, you don't even have the right to complain!"

Sesshoumaru could only stare at her in silence as she paused to catch her breath. She was rude beyond words and yet he felt no urge to strangle her in anger. Was it because of his human blood?

His thoughts were cut off when she suddenly started talking again.

"You should be grateful that I'm merciful enough to drag you to this place and pay for your stay. The least you could do in return is thank me."

Sesshoumaru scowled at her arrogance, but his stoic composure returned as he ran a hand through his long dark hair. "Hmph, it would take a lifetime for you to be worthy of my gratitude," he stated plainly. "You were foolish to extend your help to your enemy." A quick glance at her expression told him he was winning the argument and he continued proudly. "Hmm, perhaps your actions weren't that nonsensical considering that you _are_, after all, a servant."

Curious to her reaction, Sesshoumaru turned to her fully. Her chestnut eyes had narrowed and were filled with so much anger that he could only anticipate an outburst of tears next.

However, the crying didn't happen as she stared back at him firmly. "I hope you'll die of fever!" she cursed and stomped out of the room.

He listened to her footsteps until it drowned into the noise coming from the diner below. Slightly disturbed by her words, Sesshoumaru placed his hand over his forehead. The fever was still there, but luckily not as life-threatening as she had hoped for.

Suddenly the sound of horses neighing and people gasping came through the windows of the room, followed by a dead silence.

The hush was broken shortly by a wave of screaming and gasping, accompanied by a crowded murmuring.

"W-what happened?" one of the voices asked.

Unable to distinguish the answer that followed, Sesshoumaru made his way towards the window. He lowered his gaze to the streets and found a large assembly of villagers surrounding a stationary carriage right in front of the lodge's entrance. They were all focused on something near the horses' feet until someone yelled to get their attention.

"It wasn't my fault! The girl suddenly ran out of the lodge!"

Despite the exclamation of the carriage owner, the murmuring in the crowd continued.

"Poor girl, I wonder if she was running from someone or something?"

"…so young…such a pity…"

"Who is she?"

"…doesn't look familiar…"

Sesshoumaru frowned as the villagers kept denying him a chance to identify the victim. What was this uneasy feeling rising in his chest? Why was he bothered by the death of another insignificant human being?

"I think…22 or 23 years old…"

"…a servant perhaps?"

"She came with another man earlier, I think it was her betrothed…"

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes when he recognized the hostess' voice. _'It couldn't be…'_

Without second thought, he pushed himself away from the window and dashed out of the room. _'It can't be her…'_

His heart raced in his chest as he forced his way through the crowd in the direction of the horses.

What was he so afraid of? Why did he care whether it was her or not?

He held his breath as he reached the first row of the audience. His eyes darted to the bloodied body lying on the floor, only to realize it wasn't her.

It was another girl of her age. She had a similar shade of hair color, but their garments didn't match.

Sesshoumaru turned away from the lifeless form. _'Why am I searching for clues to disconfirm it's her?'_ he thought confused. At the same time, he saw another man fighting his way through the crowd into his direction.

He didn't spare the man a glance as he shot past him to the victim on the floor. "Noo!! This can't be happening!" he heard him cry.

"He must be her betrothed," said someone in the crowd.

As the murmuring continued, Sesshoumaru realized that he stood out with his indifferent attitude and decided to head for the lodge again.

"Sesshoumaru?"

The voice made him snap out of it and he found himself standing face to face with the one he was looking for. Her cheeks were flushed but she looked unharmed. There was a genuine worry written on her face as she gazed up at him with her hazel eyes and suddenly he had to fight the urge to hug her.

"Hmph," was all he managed to utter before turning his back to her. Without sparing her another glance, he started walking toward the staircase.

Kagome watched Sesshoumaru disappear to the floor above. _'What was that all about?'_ she thought puzzled. Her eyes drifted to the commotion outside the lodge. _'How did he end up in there?'_

That moment, a cold draft entered through the entrance and caused her to pull her cloak closer to her body. She glanced at the money pouch in her hand and sighed. Even if she wanted to rent another room, she would have to wait until the gathering adjourned before she could locate the hostess. _'I better wait upstairs…'_ she decided as a second draft brushed past her. After one last attempt to find the hostess in the crowd, she reluctantly turned her back to the entrance and made her way to the stairs.

-.-

As she closed the sliding door and turned around, she realized she hadn't had the chance to take a good look at the place before and scanned her surroundings.

It was a small space with a round table at its center, accompanied by four stools. The only bed in the room was built inside an alcove in the wall to her right and furnished with simple white sheets, a soft brown blanket and pillow.

Below the windowsills before her stood a wide bench, which was an alternative in case two people had to share the place.

Kagome furrowed her brows as she looked more carefully at the mahogany piece of furniture. She realized someone was lying on it facing the window-side. Quietly, she tiptoed closer to the individual, only to realize it was Sesshoumaru. _'Why is he sleeping on the bench??'_ she wondered surprised as she glanced at the untouched bed. _'Is he allowing me to sleep on the bed?'_ She shook her head. _'But we had a quarrel earlier…'_

She let out a confused sigh as she settled down on one of the stools. Why was the arrogant, self-centered Sesshoumaru sleeping on the hard bench instead of the comfortable bed? And then there was the awkward pause between them at the entrance earlier. She could've sworn she saw a hint of relief in his dark eyes when he looked at her.

After pondering a while, she shrugged. _'Maybe it's just my imagination…'_

Just when she was about to head downstairs to find the hostess, she caught a slight shiver in Sesshoumaru sleeping form.

Instinctively, she walked away from the exit and toward the bed. Luckily, she found a second layer of blanket below the brown one and pulled it into her arms with a swift jerk.

She carefully spread it over Sesshoumaru's body until it covered everything except his head.

A soft sigh escaped the former demon's lips in response and Kagome found herself hovering silently over his shoulders and staring at his face. Before she knew it, she was already touching his forehead with her hand. Much to her surprise, his fever had gone down quicker than she had expected.

'_Why am I feeling relieved?_' she thought to herself as she pulled away.

At the end, she gave up the idea of getting a second room.

-.-

After settling down on her bed to retire for the night, Kagome found herself unable to fall asleep. Only this time, it wasn't because she was afraid of being killed in her sleep.

Kagome glanced over at the dark figure sleeping on the bench. Ever since she put the blanket over him, he had been sleeping like a rose. _'The fever must have worn him out.'_ She mused inwardly and turned to face the ceiling with her hand resting on her forehead.

'_Foolish Kagome, do you realize what you are doing?'_

'_I'm helping my enemy…'_ she admitted in her thoughts.

'_Well at least you're not denying it.'_

'_He's right for calling me a fool for helping him. But I can't leave him behind like that. That just isn't me…especially when he's so helpless…'_

'_Mmm…maybe…'_

Kagome frowned when her mind became blank after that.

As frustration piled on top of one another, she closed her eyes and decided to forget about everything that had happened today. Eventually, she drifted into the long awaited sleep she wanted to badly.

-.-

The next morning came rather quickly and Kagome woke up at the cleaning noises coming from the neighboring rooms.

After sleeping for more than 10 hours, her body still felt exhausted and heavy as though she had been running a marathon the day before.

It took her some time to realize that she was all alone. She glanced at the empty bench and the neatly folded blanket at its corner. _'Going our separate ways huh?'_ she mused tiredly as she shuffled to the edge of the bed.

As soon as she stood up, a throbbing pain shot through her temples and caused her to grab the nearest wall for support. She groaned aloud and placed a hand on her forehead. _'That's what I get for helping someone I shouldn't be helping.'_ She sighed inwardly as she verified the cause of her symptoms.

'_I better tell the hostess to summon me a doctor…'_ she decided and reached out for her thick cloak hanging next to the bed.

Fortunately, she managed to reach the bottom of the staircase without breaking her neck. Without hesitation, she made a beeline to the counter, only to realize it was unmanned.

Barely able to remain on her feet, Kagome ushered a passing young clerk to her side.

"The hostess has gone out to run an errand," he explained kindly as he eyed her worriedly. "You don't look very well miss; shall I get you a doctor?"

"Y-yes, please do," she replied with her eyes closed to suppress the headache.

"Here, have a seat," the boy shoved a nearby stool to her feet. "Can I get you anything else?"

She shook her head. "No thank you…"

"Alright, just wait here. I'll be back before you know it."

"Thanks."

Not long after the clerk left, Kagome noticed a different pair of footsteps walking into her direction and opened her eyes to look up. Her brows furrowed when she saw a distastefully dressed man standing before her. It must have been ages since he last shaved or combed his hair. The stench of liquor was all over him and his misshaped robe.

Kagome immediately turned away from him hoping her ignorance would drive him away. But she realized her plan failed as the man knelt down to her level.

"Hey missy, are you all alone? Where is your companion?"

"Leave me alone," snarled Kagome.

A shiver ran down her spine when she felt his breath graze her cheeks as he spoke.

"Aw don't be shy. You see…I'm all alone too, so why don't we…"

As his voice trailed off, Kagome suddenly felt his hand on her lap and she quickly jumped to her feet. Her eyes darted around as she moved away from the drunkard.

The diner was empty and the cleaners upstairs were probably too noisy to hear her hoarse cries for help as nobody came to her rescue.

With the fever consuming her strength, she didn't do well at resisting and eventually she found herself pinned down on one of the dining tables with one hand above her head.

By the time she had gathered enough air to cry out loud for help, the creep had already ripped away her gray cloak and begun to pull at her inner kimono.

"Get off of me you monster!!!" she cried with tears in her eyes. She tried her best to hold her robe together with her free hand, but he was too strong. As soon as her collar slipped from her grip, the man bent down to her bare neck and started licking it as if she was an ice-cube during a blistering summer.

Kagome threw her head to the other side as more tears trickled down her temples.

'_Somebody…please help me…'_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Hey everyone! I've finally managed to update! Sorry for not updating sooner! Hope you'll like this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks! 

Ciao!

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap / change of perspective

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The day things became more complicated  
**

-.-

Who's going to save your little damsel in distress? And it seems that Sesshy's new bride isn't too fond of Kagome AND her sweetheart disappearing at the same time. What will she do about it? And what will Inuyasha do to stop her?

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

No Japanese words this time :).

-.-.-.-

Posted: 17 March 2007  
Last Edited: 17 March 2007  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	10. The day things became more complicated

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The day things became more complicated**

"Get off of m-" Her voice got stuck on her throat when the drunkard suddenly pulled away from her. After blinking away the tears from her eyes, Kagome realized that the man was being pulled back by force. In the next second, he was smashed against a nearby pillar and a shiny blade appeared near this throat.

Kagome widened her eyes as she caught a full view of her savior. "Sesshoumaru!" she gasped, slowly pushing herself up from the table.

She saw him glance at her briefly before turning to the drunkard again. His eyes narrowed as he pushed the cold steel against his throat and growled. "Don't you dare touching her again."  
With that, he pushed him to the floor and pointed the tip of his blade at his face. "Get lost!!"

The man let out a large shriek before he clumsily made his way to the exit, leaving Kagome and Sesshoumaru behind in the empty diner.

Kagome felt her whole body tremble as she held her deformed inner garment together. She parted her lips to speak but Sesshoumaru beat her to it as he sheathed his sword. "Now we're even," he said coldly without looking at her.

Sesshoumaru was about to walk away when Kagome burst out in tears with her face buried in her hands. Her timing couldn't be more perfect when he realized some of the cleaning staff had lined themselves up on the stairs behind them. From the looks on their faces, Sesshoumaru also realized that the situation was only going to get worse if he didn't take action soon. The sight of him being the only one standing near the crying victim did not favor him at all. He glared at Kagome. "Stop crying, wench," he hissed under his breath.

"I…I…" she stuttered.

"I'm not the culprit, so stop making me look like one," he bit back.

Before he could say anything else, she suddenly grabbed his robe and buried her face in it. "I was…so scared…" he heard her muffled voice.

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder at the unwanted audience, which had only increased in size in the meantime. Fortunately, the suspicion that fell on him earlier seemed to have disappeared, though he had hoped it would involve less physical contact. His attention darted back to Kagome when the sobbing suddenly stopped. There was no way he could've calmed her down that fast. His eyes slightly widened when he saw her hands slipping away from his chest. _'Kagome!' _A quick bend forward allowed him to grab her by her waist before she fell to the floor.

At that moment, a young lad together with an old man appeared by his side. "I brought the village doctor!" the boy panted with a sweaty forehead.

"She has a very high fever," the elder said, brushing his long white beard.

Sesshoumaru scowled when he saw his other hand land on Kagome's forehead.

"We should let her rest on a bed," the clerk suggested and he made his way upstairs with Sesshoumaru and the doctor behind him.

Once he finished laying her down on her bed, Sesshoumaru stepped aside for the elder. The same young clerk put down a large brown box, which belonged to the doctor, on the table behind them. He quickly picked up one of the stools and placed it right behind the doctor. "Thank you boy," the elder smiled and sat down.

The clerk turned to Sesshoumaru. "Would you like a stool too sir?" Sesshoumaru shook his head and turned to Kagome again.

"You two must have traveled a long distance," said the elder after the clerk disappeared into the hallway.

Sesshoumaru didn't respond as he stared at every movement the human made.

"It is not wise to travel through a storm like that, you know. Unlike yourself, this young lady seems to have taken a heavier portion of rain and wind. She's been greatly weakened by it."   
The former dog demon was surprised at how much he knew by simply checking her pulse. His eyes shifted to Kagome when she started breathing heavily. Pain was written all over her sleeping face and he knew more than anybody else who had caused her to suffer like that.

Annoyed by the guilt, he eventually turned away from the bed. "She's of no concern to me," he muttered coldly.

"Feeling guilty huh? Well don't be young man," the elder said kindly as he placed Kagome's arm back under the covers.

Sesshoumaru immediately shot him an ice glare. "You don't know anything human!"

The genuine smile on his face did not fade as he spoke. "The dirt patterns on both of your garments told me more than enough about your journey. The fact that more dirt and grass stained this young lady's cloak and boots can only mean that she was exposed to the storm for a longer period than you." He stood up and stared at Sesshoumaru face to face. "By the faint paleness of your skin, I'm pretty sure that fever had struck you as well a couple of days ago. She must have traveled through the storm for your sake." His eyes dropped to Sesshoumaru's hand, which was holding the hilt of the sword around his waist. "And the reason why you haven't killed me yet is because I'm right."

"You're wrong," countered Sessshoumaru, letting go of his sword. "You're still breathing because you are still of use to me." That said, he distanced himself from the bed and walked towards the door.

"Are you leaving your friend behind?"

He stopped in his tracks. "She's not a friend."

"Either way, this young lady will not recover if nobody's there to take care of her," the doctor told him as he took a piece of paper and writing materials out of his equipment box and started writing. He looked up in surprise when Sesshoumaru suddenly threw Kagome's money pouch on the table, allowing several coins to spill over the surface.The elder frowned but eventually bowed over his paper again. "May I remind you that although I'm obliged to help a patient as a doctor, my task only involves providing the medicines and herbs?" he said calmly and finished what he was writing. As he put away his tools, he called for assistance.

The same young clerk entered the room and walked over to his side. "Yes?"

The doctor picked four coins that fell out of the pouch earlier and pushed one of them together with the piece of paper in his hand. "Gather the herbs on this list and boil the written amount in water into four bowls of broth each day; two for the young lady and the other two for the young man. Do this for five consecutive days including today."

The boy's eyes sparkled as he gazed at the coin he received. "Thank you sir! Leave it to me!"

The old man smiled. "Oh don't thank you me. You should thank this young man," he pointed at Sesshoumaru. "He gave you the money. Perhaps he'll give you more if you help him take care of the young lady."

Sesshoumaru scowled and turned to the clerk with a glare of death. "Touch her and you'll suffer the consequences."

The clerk cringed and gulped. "Y-yes sir."

"Well, my job is done here," the doctor brushed his long beard wisely and left the room without sparing Sesshoumaru another glance.

"Allow me to walk you to the exit sir," the clerk offered almost too willingly and wobbled past the former demon to the exit.

"Wait."

The boy froze and turned to Sesshoumaru. "Yes?"

"Get me some clean water and a towel," he ordered.

"Yes sir! Right away sir!"

After the sound of the doors closing, Sesshoumaru turned around to the bed and gazed at the sick girl breathing heavily. Only a few hours ago, he would've done anything to shut her up, but right now, it felt awkward to see her like that. He picked up the money pouch on the table and approached the side of the bed to return it to its true owner. Just when he was about to turn away again, he found himself unable to look away from her sleeping face.

"This Sesshoumaru does not like to owe anyone anything," he told her sternly. "Your help was uncalled for…" His voice faltered as he studied her pained expression. He thought it would make him feel better by saying that, but the more he wanted to protect his pride, the guiltier he felt. Guided by an unknown emotion, his hand moved to her sweaty forehead. The second his fingers made contact with her damp skin, he suddenly felt a heavy lump in his throat accompanied by a strange feeling churning in his chest. Silently, he pulled down his other sleeve and started to dab away the droplets glistening on her face.

-.-

A couple of days later, Sesshoumaru recovered from the fever with the medicinal broth prescribed by the doctor.

Kagome, on the other hand, still hadn't woken up yet. Although her fever was gone, her prolonged slumber started to worry him with each day that passed.

Eventually, he decided to summon the annoying doctor one more time. As much as he loathed seeing him again, he had to admit that he knew too little about the human body. Was it something he did? Sesshoumaru shook off the nervous thoughts. The doctor will be arriving any minute now, until then, it's no use brooding over it. His thoughts were interrupted with a knock on the door.

"Enter."

The doors slide open and revealed the young clerk with the old man right behind him. "I'll be in the hallways if you need me," the boy said before stepping aside. The doctor nodded kindly and entered the room.

"So…" he began after the doors closed behind him. "It surprises me that you decided to summon me again young man."

Sesshoumaru looked away. "I had no choice."

"Well then, shall we take a look at the young lady?" he said as he put down his toolbox and approached the bed. He gently placed his wrinkled hand on her forehead. "Ah, her fever has gone down. That's relieving to know."

"The clerk told me she hasn't woken up since the last time I paid her a visit. That's what caused you to summon me again, am I right?"

Sesshoumaru was about to say something in self-defense but the doctor cut him short with a smile. "Don't worry, she's only sleeping due to the exhaustion her body had accumulated." Sesshoumaru watched him bend over Kagome one more time before he turned to him again. "She should be waking up in no time," he reassured him while brushing his beard. Without saying anything else, he picked up his toolbox and made his way to the doors again.

"Your payment," Sesshoumaru halted him.

The old man shook his head and looked over his shoulder at him. "I only ask one coin per patient for each consult." With that said he pushed open the sliding doors and disappeared into the hallway, leaving a bewildered Sesshoumaru behind.

He listened to the fading footsteps outside the room while contemplating the elder's words. There was something odd about what he said. _'He only wants one coin per patient, but why didn't he ask for one today?'_ Sesshoumaru frowned as he recalled his first visit. _'Wait a minute…he took four coins last time and gave one to the clerk…does that mean…?' _

His train of thoughts crashed when a soft shuffling sound came from the bed behind him. Sesshoumaru slowly turned around and widened his eyes when he saw Kagome's head turning slightly to him. Realizations suddenly hit him hard and instead of feeling relieved, a wave of rage clouded his mind. _'He knew he would be summoned again! That's why he took three coins! He couldn't have known that Kagome would stay asleep unless…'_ Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as it all made sense to him now. It was all his doing and to think he had been playing all along for the past days. As he continued to sulk mentally, he didn't realize that Kagome had completely woken up in the meantime and was staring at him.

"Sesshoumaru?" she croaked to get his attention.

She watched how the angry expression faded from Sesshoumaru's face as their gazes met. "H-how long have I…" she began as she tried to sit up but stopped when she suddenly felt an arm supporting her shoulders from behind. She looked up only to see Sesshoumaru's face inches from her and widened her eyes in confusion. "Why are you-"

"Now we're even," he cut across her as he placed her pillow upright and ushered her to lean against it.

_'Even?'_ she thought puzzled. She remembered him saying the same thing right after he rescued her. Her eyes scanned her surroundings until she caught the glimmering sheathed sword leaning against the bench below the window. _'A sword…? That's right, he used it to save me back then.'_ She shifted back to Sesshoumaru and tilted her head as she studied his outfit. She didn't notice it before but now that he was so near, she realized he was wearing different garments than when she first met him. Instead of his black wedding outfit, he now wore a white haori and hakama with navy edges. And when she located her dark gray cloak hanging on the wall, she found a jet-black one next to it.

With narrowed eyes and a fearful assumption, Kagome desperate searched around for her money pouch. When she found it, she picked it up hastily and widened her eyes. Even without checking its content, its weight already told her that at least halve of it had been spent and she glared at Sesshoumaru in fury. "No Sesshoumaru," she hissed, staring straight into his hazel eyes. "We're far from being even."

She was surprised when he merely responded by staring back at her in silence. She had expected a counterattack of comments about how normal it was for him to have used her money and that she should be grateful. But none of it happened. There was no sign of anger in his eyes.

And soon, their staring game ended with several knocks on the door. Both of them almost jumped up in shock and averted their gazes awkwardly.

"Enter," said Sesshoumaru as he stood up.

The familiar clerk entered the room with a pile of garments in his hands. His face lit up when he saw Kagome. "You've awakened miss!" he said happily and exchanged brief glances with Sesshoumaru before kneeling down before her. "I'm sorry for leaving you all alone back then. Thank goodness your betrothed arrived on time! We were so worried when you fainted in his arms."

Kagome slightly blushed when she started to recall some fragments of what happened back then. She dropped her gaze to hide her face, only to realize that the clerk was holding her clothes. "Ehm…thank you for bringing my clothes…h-how did you know I needed them?"

The clerk laughed. "Oh these? The doctor told me that you would wake up very soon, so I thought I should prepare them. But I never thought the old man would be this accurate!"

"A doctor was here?" Kagome stole a glance at Sesshoumaru, whose expression had hardened ever since the clerk mentioned it.

Her attention turned to the boy again when he hastily continued. "Your betrothed was worried about you too! He never left your side except when the maids had to change your clothes. He even fed you the medicine the doctor-"

He was cut off when Sesshoumaru cleared his throat in a very self-explanatory way.

The clerk immediately got the message and jumped to his feet. "W-well, I still got a lot of things to do, so uhm…I'll be heading off now," he stammered and excused himself from the room after placing her clothes on the nearby table.

After the doors closed, Kagome slowly turned to Sesshoumaru, who stared at the closed doors with a rather annoyed expression.

"You were still of use to me, nothing more, nothing less," he grumbled without looking at her.

For some reason, Kagome felt no anger building inside at his insult. She was no more useful to him than her bag of money and yet he came back for her even after he got the equipments he wanted. He despised her and yet, he rescued her and took care of her when she couldn't take care of herself.

"Thank you," she said to him with a small smile. But her smile dropped fairly quickly as she realized whom she was thanking. _'I shouldn't be grateful to him…he's the one who murdered my grandparents…' _

Her thoughts halted when something blocked the daylight and towered over her. She froze when she realized it was Sesshoumaru. With slightly widened eyes, she watched how he silently sat down on the bed next to her and slowly moved his face closer to hers. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his warm forehead landing on hers. She felt the blood rising to her cheeks and forced herself to think about something other than the close proximity between them.

It wasn't until he pulled away that she realized she had been holding her breath all this time, which caused her to cough heavily.

"Are you okay?" Sesshoumaru asked gently as he rubbed her back.

"Y-yes…cough…I-I'm fine…cough cough…" Kagome replied with tears in her eyes. "How's your fever by the way?" she asked after the coughing ended.

Sesshoumaru stood up again, which forced her to crane her neck to look at him. "I'm stronger than you think, I've already recovered while you were sleeping," he stated proudly.

A grin formed on Kagome's lips as she stuck up her nose. "Since you're a human, I'd say you're just as weak as I am," she scoffed. She turned to Sesshoumaru while awaiting his mocking remarks but blinked in confusion when she found him staring at her again. _'It's that expression again…why is he doing that?'_ Kagome averted her gaze in bewilderment. _'Why is he looking at me like that? What is wrong with him?' _

What she didn't know was that the same thoughts tormented Sesshoumaru's mind as well. _'What's wrong with me? I should be angry at her for insulting me…'_ he wondered.

On top of that, he hadn't had the slightest idea where the urge to embrace her suddenly came from. And the strangest thing was, the idea of embracing the human did not sound as appalling as a few days ago. What changed?

-.- meanwhile -.-

"This is ridiculous! How could you dispatch your best men and still fail to find my beloved Sesshoumaru-sama!?" she pouted behind the delicate bamboo screen, which separated her from the audience chamber.

Jaken flinched at her sharp tone while remaining in his groveling position. "Please don't worry my lady, I have sent some of our demonic soldiers. They'll be able to track down Sesshoumaru-sama's scent in no time."

"I sure hope they do, or I'll be having your head next time you bring such disappointing news," warned the demoness.

The servant swallowed hard as he imagined the headless self. _'If only InuTaisho-sama were here…'_ he wailed mentally, recalling what the former lord said before he and the former lady left for the Northern Lands.

"Unless you found Sesshoumaru's corpse, do not disturb me with any messengers."

He surreptitiously raised his head, only to see the silhouette of Kaguya pacing back and forth.

At that moment, Inuyasha appeared beside the servant with a grin plastered on his face. "What's wrong Kaguya? Frustrated that my brother left you untouched before disappearing?" he scoffed.

"Shut up half breed! You're not even qualified to call me by my name!!" she hissed angrily.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Keh! You're not even marked yet so don't talk big about being a lady and all that! My brother can still get rid of you anytime he wants!"

"Why you-" Her sentence was cut off by the sound of tearing fabric. "Aargh!! Where is Kagome?! Get me Kagome, NOW!!" she suddenly yelled furiously.

The hanyou stifled a laugh. Apparently, she had accidentally stepped on her garment and caused a tear in it.

"I'm so sorry Kaguya-sama, but the servant you speak off has gone missing," explained Jaken.

Kaguya's silhouette froze. "What did you say? Are you saying that she has fled??"

"I-I'm afraid so my lady…"

Inuyasha smirked. _'Too bad you can't see this Kagome. I'm sure you would've loved the drama.'_ He thought amused.

"The nerve…nobody disobeys me and gets away with it!!" Kaguya growled, turning to Inuyasha. "You wouldn't by chance have anything to do with her sudden disappearance…would you half breed?"

He shrugged casually. "What if I did…and what if I didn't? There's no way you can prove it anyway."

Although it was just her shadow, he could sense her expression darken considerably. "You pesky little…"

"My lady, if I may interrupt you," Jaken cut her short hastily. "From what I've heard, the servant named Kagome has been missing ever since your wedding night."

The demoness seemed to have taken the bait as a moment of silence ensued. "The same night when Sesshoumaru-sama left?" she asked finally.

"Yes."

Inuyasha's amusement faded as he took in the information seriously. _'W-what…!?'_ he thought shocked. _'I saw him enter the room with Kaguya before I went to pick up Kagome! I made sure nobody was following us!'_

"Ah of course…it all makes sense to me now," said Kaguya as she sat down calmly. "That sly little bitch took the chance to flee the fortress when the security around the gates was weakest. Sesshoumaru-sama sensed that and that's why he suddenly left before we-" Her voice trailed off as she squealed in happiness. "Aw Sesshoumaru-sama, you shouldn't have… Oh I'm so sorry for doubting you my love… you made Kaguya so happy!!"

As she continued to refer to herself in third person, Inuyasha drowned in his worry. It wasn't impossible for Sesshoumaru to have sensed Kagome's disappearance. Could he have missed his brother's scent when he left the fortress to pursue her? _'Come to think of it, I was distracted once by something else back then…near the gates…' _

His thoughts ended when the shadow of Kaguya stood up again.

"I can't let my beloved do all the dirty work. He's a lord now…killing a human isn't something he should bother himself with," the demoness decided.

"What do you intend to do my lady?" Jaken asked.

Kaguya giggled evilly. "I guess now's the time to catch up with my friends. I'm sure they'll lend me a hand if I told them that I'm in a position to get them whatever they desire…"

A shiver ran down Inuyasha's spine as the demoness started to laugh hysterically. With his hands covering his sensitive ears, he slipped away from the audience chamber. _'This is bad…'_ he thought to himself. _'Sesshoumaru is already dangerous enough…if Kaguya's demonic friends are pursuing her as well, she'll surely-' _He groaned in frustration. _'Damn! If only I had noticed it sooner!' _

Inuyasha shook off the scary thoughts. _'No, there's a chance he hasn't found her yet...as long as Kaguya hasn't dispatched any of her reinforcements yet, there's still time...' _He clenched his fists in determination. _'Kagome...'_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Again sorry for the late update. It seems I'm making a habit of updating every 1.5 to 2 months, argh...I'm so ashamed of myself... I hope you like it nevertheless. I'll try to update sooner! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks a lot! 

Cheers,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words   
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The day he began to regret**

-.-

What will Sesshoumaru do now that Kagome has become the target of his bride's wrath? Will he be forgiven before anything bad happens to her?

-.-.-.-

Posted: May 5 2007  
Last Edited: May 5 2007  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	11. The day he began to regret

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**The day he began to regret**

"Kyaa!!" Kagome shrieked as she spotted another bat flying towards her.

Sesshoumaru jumped in front of her and sliced it in half after several unsuccessful attempts. "Stop screaming girl, your voice is messing up my accuracy!" he grumbled in frustration.

"You have no right to complain! You're the one who suggested leaving village! I never should've listened to you!" she spat back and quickly ducked to avoid another clawed free-fall.

The former dog demon narrowed his eyes as he parried an incoming attack, and stood protectively between her and the remaining fiends. After the numerous battles they've fought, or he fought, he realized that the attacks launched at the human behind him were far more vicious than those directed at him. He knew they were only meant to keep him busy and give others the chance to go after their real target.

Kagome.

Sesshoumaru blocked an enemy trying to pierce past him while he was in thoughts. He scowled at his blade that was vibrating after the impact with the demon. For the first time he had to agree with the girl. They should've stayed in the village. Ever since they left, the frequency of encounters and the number of fiends only multiplied.

_'Only a fool would think that these were mere random encounter.' _He thought to himself, ready to parry another blow. _'Well whoever is sending them must be becoming impatient, that's for sure.' _

With one final swing, he sent the last bat to the afterlife. _'This isn't good…' _he concluded inwardly while sheathing his sword and gazed down at his bruised, clawless hand. He realized that if things remained as they were, it was only a matter of time that he would no longer be able to handle the demons.

Sesshoumaru tossed a quick glance over his shoulder to Kagome. "Let's go," he told her coldly. "We need to get to the next village before it gets dark."

Kagome gazed up at him in disbelief. "What?!"

"Unless you want to sit here and wait for the next attack, I suggest we leave now," he reasoned.

But she refused to take another step. "Why do I get the feeling like we're pursuing something instead of being pursued?"

He sighed in annoyance. He praised for her sharp intuition, but her stubbornness would definitely get them both killed eventually. "Look girl, we-" he began as he turned around to her fully, but stopped mid-sentence when he saw her face.

The fatigue in her hazel eyes almost instantly blew away the impatience that built up inside him. Somehow, he didn't care about the dangers lurking ahead of them anymore. All that mattered was her well-being.

Kagome raised her brows when Sesshoumaru suddenly knelt down before her. "What are you doing?"

"Climb on my back," he told her as he pushed his long black hair to the front.

"W-what?"

"Do you want to get out of here or not?" he grumbled in irritation. "Hurry up before I change my mind."

With a hesitant nod, she bent forward and looped her arms around his neck from behind.

Without a word, Sesshoumaru lifted her off her feet and started walking out of the small clearing.

As they strode over the grassy forest, Kagome felt a wave of nostalgia washing over her. _'It's just like when Inuyasha helped me out of the fortress back then…' _

But although it was similar, she couldn't help noticing the subtle differences. Perhaps it was just the difference in posture, but she felt more secure leaning against the back of the former dog demon.

The hanyou's grip was protective accompanied by some inexperience and clumsiness. The older brother, on the other hand, held her with the right balance between firmness and gentleness. Much to her surprise, his arms around her legs absorbed every single movement caused by each step he took.

His warm back combined with the serene sounds of grass below his feet was more sleep inducing than she had expected and eventually she was lulled into a deep slumber.

-.-

By the time she woke up, she was no longer being carried on one's back. She found herself lying on her back and staring at a dark starry sky. The treetops circling around the clearing were illuminated by a crisping fire near her.

She pushed herself up from the grass and rubbed the remaining drowsiness out of her face. "How long have I been sleeping?" she croaked and stole a glance at Sesshoumaru, who sat on the other side of the flames.

"Long enough for the sun to set completely," he responded dryly.

"I guess we didn't make it to the next village huh?" she said sheepishly.

"Your weight rendered me incapable of dashing through the woods. We'll have to wait until you can walk by yourself again," retorted Sesshoumaru and threw a piece of log into the fire.

Kagome crossed her arms and huffed. "Hmph, Inuyasha didn't even complain about-" she put her hand before her lips. _'You moron! You almost told him that Inuyasha was the one who helped you escape!' _She stole a glance at Sesshoumaru, only to find him looking back expectantly. _'Ok…bad move…' _she grunted inwardly, realizing that it only made herself look more suspicious.

Much to her relief, Sesshoumaru gazed back into the fire after a while.

_'Was I too harsh?'_ she wondered when it became awfully silent afterwards. _'Maybe I shouldn't have compared him to Inuyasha.' _

Unable to get over the guilt she felt, she shifted to face him fully. "I uh…didn't mean to-" she began, but when she saw him turning to her again, she quickly averted her eyes awkwardly. _'Why am I apologizing?' _she thought confused.

"Er…uhm…what is it that we…I mean, you are looking for by the way?" she blurted out in an attempt to change the subject. She immediately regretted asking when he didn't reply her. _'Right, as if he would tell me…'_ she huffed inwardly. Her thoughts were interrupted when Sesshoumaru finally spoke.

"A woman," he said. "I'm looking for a woman…"

"A woman?" she repeated after him. For some unknown reason, she felt something churning in her chest.

"…who claims to be the Sage under the moon."

Kagome gave him a puzzled look. "I'm sorry? A Sage?" But as soon as her question left her lips, a realization hit her. "Is it because you want to turn back into a demon?"

A frown formed on Sesshoumaru's forehead as he explained. "She's the one responsible for making me look like this in the first place."

She widened her eyes slightly. Now that's something you don't hear everyday. _'Not that it's hard for someone like him to anger a wise one.' _She reasoned in herself. "You must have done something terrible for the Sage to punish you like this," she mused aloud. _'Like killing innocent people and burning down a brothel or something.' _

"Well whatever that is, I'm sure this is a fitting punishment for it," she retorted when Sesshoumaru remained silent.

Silence

Kagome felt a rising anger in her chest when she saw the emotionless expression on his face; no denial, no repent, nothing.

"Fine!!" she spat angrily. "I hope you'll stay human for the rest of your life!!" With that she turned her back to him and lied down again. As she pulled her cloak closer to her body and curled herself into a ball she tried to understand where the outburst suddenly came from._ 'Why am I so angry? It's only natural for him not to feel guilty…why was I hoping for him to show any sign of regret?'_ she wondered frustrated. _'And I was even planning to apologize to him earlier!'_ She closed her eyes firmly to push back the welling tears._ 'How foolish of me…' _

Sesshoumaru gazed over at Kagome's curled up form on the grass. He didn't realize how deep in thoughts he was until her angry voice made him snap out of it. Before that he was thinking about the one who's behind all the monsters going after Kagome. He reasoned that whoever it was must possess great influence to dispatch demons like that.

But who could it be? Who had such power and hold such grudge against her?

Besides himself, there was only one other person he could think of.

Kaguya.

But he couldn't rule out the Sage either. Although she didn't have a grudge against Kagome, she might be punishing her for traveling with him.

'_In that case, leaving her would be the best option.' _He thought to himself. _'But if I'm wrong, she would definitely die…'_ He stole a glance at Kagome, wondering why he felt concern for her. But he quickly shook off the thoughts again. _'No matter, I have to find the Sage anyway. If she refuses to come along, it'll be her choice.'_

That decided, he put another log into the fire and cleared his mind for the evening.

-.- the next day -.-

"Wake up human."

"Ngh…"

"Wake up!"

Kagome slowly opened her eyes with a hand quickly shielding them from the blinding daylight. The azure sky greeted her kindly until the stoic face of Sesshoumaru suddenly towered above hers.

"Get ready, we're leaving," he said and moved away.

"I have a name you know," grumbled Kagome as she sat up.

Her remark was ignored as the former dog demon turned around and started walking away.

She jumped to her feet and leaped after him. "Hey wait-" she didn't get to finish when a sudden dizziness hit her and sent her toppling backwards. Much to her surprise, Sesshoumaru darted back towards her and saved her from a painful impact with the floor with his arm secured around her waist. Her eyes slightly widened as she gazed up to find his lips a hairbreadth away from her forehead. She could feel the warmth of his torso flowing through his haori into her hands, which were resting against his chest.

Seconds went by as neither of the two moved or looked away.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but notice the quick heartbeat thumping against his hand on the small of her cloaked back. The strangest thing was, he could not differentiate whether it was his or hers. The pace of her breathing told him it was hers, but then again, she wasn't the only one breathing more rapid than usual. _'What is this nervousness I'm feeling? Why am I not disgusted by her proximity?' _he asked himself repeatedly.

He prematurely ended his inward struggle when he saw the unusually redness coloring Kagome's cheeks and her confused expression. She wasn't gazing away, but she wasn't exactly looking at him either. It was as though she was staring right through him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

They gazes met briefly before she hastily pushed herself out of his embrace. "It's all your fault!" she cried angrily.

Sesshoumaru instinctively switched into self-defense mode at the sudden accusation. "That's what you get for standing up so quickly you fool."

"I wouldn't have to do that if you weren't so hasty about finding that Sage of yours!!" she spat back. Her eyes narrowed as she retorted. "Oh I know, you want to return to the fortress as soon as possible so that you can be with your beloved Kaguya again, don't you??" She broke their gazes again and brushed past him until they were standing back to back. "Because if you do, you're on your own from here on. There's no way I'm going back to be Kaguya's or your servant again!" That said, she set out into a completely different direction than originally planned.

Sesshoumaru silently listened to her footsteps until he could no longer distinguish them from the sounds of the forest. _'Should I have stopped her? What if she encounters the demons pursuing her?'_ he mused inwardly, but shook his head again. _'It's her choice. She'll have to face the consequences herself.' _

He closed his eyes to suppress an upcoming headache. Keeping watch all night was taking its tool on his human body. _'Perhaps she's better of traveling without me.' _He reassured himself.

Suddenly, a loud scream pierced through the forest, coming from the direction Kagome went into.

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes as he recognized the voice. _'Kagome!' _Abandoning his previous thoughts, he immediately dashed to where the scream came from.

"Kagome!" he called out to her. "Answer me, Kagome!!"

The sound of water became clearer by the minute as he advanced through the forest and he felt he should make haste. "Kagome!!!" he cried and increased his pace.

Eventually, he reached the banks of a large creek crossing his path. It was swollen with water that poured down in the past few weeks. Its current made it look like a gigantic water snake that could swallow up everything in its way.

Without second thought, Sesshoumaru followed the banks downstream until he caught notice of a small bridge. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that half of it had submerged into the vicious creek. With the quick waves pulling at its loose ends, it was only a matter of time the bridge would be devoured completely.

_'Did she cross it?'_ he thought panicked. "Kagome!!" he cried and continued to follow the current. He abruptly stopped in his tracks when he finally spotted a shade of raven floating in the middle of the creek.

"Kagome!!"

Kagome didn't realize someone was calling out to her as she was too busy clinging onto the rock before her and keeping her head above the water._'So this is my punishment for staying with him huh?' _she grunted inside, barely able to prevent herself form being squashed by the strong current. _'How could I even expect him to think differently about the human kind?'_ She smiled ruefully._ 'After becoming a demon again, he'll return to the fortress…to be with Kaguya…'_ Tears welled up in her eyes as the last bit of denial crumbled within her.

She was so sure she could hate him until the day she died, but now she realized she no longer held this feeling against him. She gazed up to the blue sky. _'Grandpa…grandma…please forgive me…' _she sobbed inwardly and closed her eyes to accept her face. More tears began to flow down her cheeks as the image of the Sesshoumaru refused to fade in her mind.

At that very moment, something solid bumped against her back and pushed her firmly against the rock before her.

_'Have I…died?'_ Kagome wondered. She could no longer feel the harsh waves against her back and her body seemed to have stopped billowing along with the current.

"Kagome!" a voice called from behind her.

She snapped out of it and widened her eyes at the new pair of hands on the rocky surface in front of her._ 'W-who…?'_

"Kagome!" the voice called again.

Her eyes darted to the side, only to find Sesshoumaru's wet face planted on her right shoulder.

He was sandwiching her securely between him and the rock and protecting her from the current. His arms, which he had snaked under her arms to hold onto the rock, lifted up her body a little and prevented her from tasting any more of the creek water.

"S-Sesshoumaru…" she panted with a trembling voice. 'You came…'

"Good, you're still conscious," he said relieved. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…." She nodded stiffly, with her eyes fixed on his. "Why are you-"

"We're going to freeze to death if we stay in the water too long, do you think you can turn around and grab onto me?" he cut her off.

"But I can't feel the bottom of the creek," replied Kagome.

Sesshoumaru brought his arms closer to her body. "Use my arms for support," he told her. "Hurry."

Kagome did as she was told and slowly moved her hands away from the rock to grab his arms. She was about halfway the turn when her hands suddenly slipped off and caused her to sink into the creek.

The water had almost entered her lungs when something wrapped around her waist underwater and pulled her up again. She coughed out the water as soon as she surfaced and gasped for air.

"You okay?" Sesshoumaru's voice asked worriedly.

"I-I guess so…" spluttered Kagome as she removed the remaining water from her face. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself leaning closely against Sesshoumaru's body.

"Hold on tight to me," he told her. "I'll need both hands to get us out of the creek safely."

She nodded and wrapped her heavy arms around his neck. By the stability of his shoulders, she realized that unlike herself, he was standing on the bottom of the creek. Until now, she had never really liked the way he always towered over her, but she had to admit that it was his height that was saving them from drowning.

"Sesshoumaru," she said softly as her eyes followed the wavy movements of his long black hair just below the water surface.

"What is it?"

"I uhm…wanted to…" her voice faltered when she saw something in the corner of her eyes. They widened when she saw the bridge of earlier coming at them with great speed. "I-it's the bridge! It's going to hit us!!" she gasped and closed her eyes in fear.

When she came to her senses again, she found herself leaning with her back against the rock with Sesshoumaru's face closer than ever. His eyes were closed and his forehead leaned against hers. She widened her eyes slightly as she studied his unusually calm features. _'Did he…shield me?' _she wondered. "Sesshoumaru?" she called to him. One of his arms was still tightly wrapped around her middle so she knew he couldn't be dead. Not yet at least. "Sesshoumaru, please wake up!"

She let out a relieved sigh when his eyes slowly reopened and gazed into hers. "Sesshoumaru! Thank goodness! Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" he responded after a brief silence. "How about you?"

"I'm okay."

"Good." Sesshoumaru shook away the dizziness and calmly assessed the situation. He immediately noticed a rope dangling in the water not very far away from them. It belonged to the bridge, but instead of washing away like the other parts, it got stuck to a group of rocks near the banks. He turned to her again. "Don't let go of me," he told her and started to walk over the slippery creek bottom.

Kagome locked her arms around his neck accordingly and rested her head on his shoulder.

Step by step, they moved away from the boulder until Sesshoumaru was able to grab the rope with both hands. "Alright," he panted and began to pull themselves towards the shore.

Both of them breathed in relief as they successfully climbed onto the bank.

"Are you…unhurt?" he asked her through the panting.

Kagome dropped her gaze to her drenched body while pushing aside her wet bangs. She froze when she saw traces of red on both her arms and quickly turned to Sesshoumaru, only to find a deeper shade of red at the base of his neck. "You're bleeding!!" she gasped and scurried to kneel down next to him. A horrified look appeared on her face when she pushed away his black locks and saw the long gash behind his ear. With the ends of her sleeves she covered the wound to stop the bleeding. "We need to find you a doctor!"

Sesshoumaru grunted at the sight of his own blood. "Urgh…humans are so weak…" he muttered as the dizziness returned.

Kagome scowled and put more pressure on the gash, causing the former dog demon to frown. "Then why did you save me? Am I not just another weak human?"

He glanced sidelong at her. "If you hadn't gone off on your own, none of this would've happened," he said coldly and reached out his hand to her.

"That's it! I've had it with you!!" snapped Kagome, slapping away his hand. "I just don't get you! Why bother saving me if you knew you'd end up being frustrated?!" She stood up and was about to walk away when Sesshoumaru's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

Kagome turned to him angrily. "Do you hate being human that much??" She tried to pry off his hand, but his grip around her wrist only tightened. "Let go of me!"

With a strong pull, he forced her to sit down beside him.

"What are you-" she hissed but stopped when he rolled up her sleeve and revealed a large bruise on her left arm. She gazed in terror at the bluish wound and turned to Sesshoumaru in silence. _'When did he notice it?'_ she wondered in confusion and watched how he tore out a piece of fabric of his robe.

"The sooner you're patched up, the sooner we can leave," he told her as he started bandaging her arm.

"You really hate this human form of yours, don't you?" she asked after a while.

"Yes."

She felt her heart sink in disappointment. She parted her lips to speak, but didn't when he suddenly looked up and stared at her with a strange expression.

"…because…" he continued and paused as if looking for the right words. "…I can't protect you if I'm like this."

Kagome widened her eyes slightly. "W-what are you trying to say?"

"The demons attacking us are becoming stronger each time, you must have realized it as well," he explained. "But if I remain in this form, I might not be able to withstand the next attack. That's why I need to find the Sage, fast."

He finished knotting the bandage together and carefully placed her arm on her lap. "But if you still insist on traveling alone, I won't stop you."

After saying that, he attempted to stand up, but dropped to the grass again when another wave of dizziness hit him.

He raised his brows when Kagome moved closer to him and placed his arm over her shoulder. "You moron, you shouldn't be moving on your own when you're injured!" she scolded him.

With her help, he managed to stand up. But as they walked away from the creek, a sudden cramp in Kagome's legs caused her to topple forward, pulling him with her.

The two of them ended up lying on the floor again, with Sesshoumaru flat on his back and Kagome right on top of him.

A smirk formed on Sesshoumaru's lips as he regarded their situation. "Hmph, it seems that I'm no more a moron than you are," he retorted.

Kagome cocked a brow. "And why's that?"

He stifled a laugh at her denseness. "How can you possible consider helping me if you can't even walk properly yourself?"

"It was a cramp okay?" she defended.

"And not to mention you didn't even notice the bridge was broken before crossing it," he taunted.

"Why you-"

"Promise me you won't do that again," he cut her off.

She stuck up her nose. "If that's what it takes to make you stop pestering me, I'll cross as many broken bridges as needed."

Her heart skipped a beat when Sesshoumaru suddenly wrapped his arms around her and sat up with her on his lap.

"If that's what it takes to keep you from walking off on me, I will stop, as you call it, pestering you," he announced clearly.

Kagome snickered. "Since when did you start taking me so seriously?"

"I _am_ serious Kagome," he told her sternly.

Startled by his sudden seriousness, Kagome couldn't find the words to reply. She could only stare into his depthless hazel eyes.

"Oh my, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," a female voice spoke out of nowhere.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru darted their eyes to the side to see a young woman standing at a distance.

She had short dark hair and wore a black sleeveless attire with a deep provoking neckline. It appeared to be a set with the tiny black skirt she wore below. But the most peculiar thing about her, besides her doll like face, was the blood red comb she held in her hand. Aside from that, the only life-threatening thing about her would be the short katana she was carrying around her waist.

Sesshoumaru jumped to his feet and placed himself protectively before Kagome. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Step aside human, my business is with the girl behind you," said the woman.

He flicked back his damp hair and readied himself to attack. "I refuse." Not giving her a chance to attack first, he lunged forward with his blade first.

A grin formed on her red lips as she swiped in the air with her comb.

Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome widened their eyes at what appeared out of nowhere and protected the woman.

"Hair?" Kagome blinked surprised at the locks of jet black pushing back Sesshoumaru's blade.

"Hm?" The woman approached the former dog demon and stopped only inches away from his face. "I've killed many humans, but I've never seen one as cute as you. Say, why don't you pick my side instead of hers," she pointed at Kagome. "She's not even pretty. I can offer you much more." She reached out to him, but Sesshoumaru jumped away before she could touch him.

"Keep your filthy hands to yourself wench," he barked.

The smile on her face dropped. "So you like her that much huh? In that case, I'll have to get rid of her first." As she said that, excitement returned to her features. "Oh what am I saying…that was my intention all along! That'll be killing two birds with one stone!!"

Sesshoumaru scowled. "Over my dead body!" He struck at her again, but none of his attacks hit or even touched her.

"Gosh, you bore me," she yawned and swiped with her comb once again. This time, a web-like net flew towards Sesshoumaru and trapped him against one of the trees behind him.

"Damn it!" He angrily struggled against the entanglement, but none of his movements seemed to affect it. _'This woman, she's different than the enemies we encountered before.'_ He thought alarmed. "You! You're the one who've been sending those monsters after us, aren't you?!" he yelled.

"Oh, did they attack you as well? Darn it, I told them only to kill the girl, but they never listen to me!" she pouted in reply. "Well, I'm glad they didn't kill you. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you as soon as I'm done with this girl here. How does a piece of these lands sound to you?"

_'A piece of land?'_ Sesshoumaru wondered inwardly, but quickly turned to the comb-user when he saw her approaching Kagome. "What do you mean by that?"

Much to his relief, the woman stopped in her tracks. "Taking the bait aren't you?" she grinned at him. "That's what I thought too when she made this offer. And all she asked for in return was this girl's life, what a bargain huh?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. _'She?'_ "Are you sure she'll keep the end of the deal? It sounds too good to be true," he reasoned.

"Hmm, you got a point there," she contemplated. "But then again, she does own a lot of land…how could she not give a piece to one of her best friends?"

While she was being distracted, Sesshoumaru quickly signaled to Kagome that it was her chance to run. And luckily, she got the message.

"Oh no you don't!" the comb-user hissed and hooked a strand of hair around Kagome's ankle before she could escape.

"Ack!" Kagome cried in pain as she fell and hit the ground hard.

The woman sighed in disappointment and glanced at Sesshoumaru. "Stalling time, are we? And there I thought you'd really consider taking my offer." She walked over to Kagome and knelt down beside her. Without warning, she grabbed her hair and pulled her head up, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Let her go you wench!!" Sesshoumaru pulled frantically at the hair entrapping him, but without success.

"The name's Yura, pretty face!" she yelled back. "Got it memorized?"

"I swear, if you dare to hurt her I'll rip you apart!!" he cried furiously.

"Hurt her? You mean like this?" she pulled out her katana and pierced it through Kagome's upper left arm with one quick stab.

Kagome's loud cry echoed through the forest as she roughly jerked it out of her limb again.

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes in horror. "Kagome!!" he yelled, ignoring the cuts he was receiving with each attempt he made to break free. 'Damn it!!' he cursed inwardly. _'If only I were still a demon!! I would've been able to save her!!' _

"Darn it! I'm sorry, I meant to stab your heart, sweetie," Yura sighed as she gazed at her bloodied weapon. "I really need to practice more." She lowered her face to Kagome's level and giggled. "You wouldn't mind helping me, would you?"

Kagome panted heavily as she gazed terrified at the blood flowing from her arm to the grass below her. "Just kill me and get this over with you bitch!" she snarled with the last bit of strength left inside.

She felt a sharp pain in her head when the comb-user pulled her hair again, but she pressed her lips together. _'I won't cry…I won't give her the pleasure!'_ she cried in herself.

"Oh? You're a touch cookie, aren't you?" commented Yura and she finally let go of her. "How about this?"

Kagome gasped sharply and widened her eyes at the katana that was now stabbing through her right hand. Her lips parted widely but no sound came out because of the immense pain running through her nerves. Her body became so numb that she didn't even realize that the comb-user had kicked her in the side to make her lie on her back.

Through her blurring vision, she saw her raising her katana, ready to stab her. Just before she completely passed out of the pain, she caught a glimpse of something pale green wrapping around Yura's wrist and stopping its descent.

_'That whip…'_ Before she could finish the thought, everything went black before her eyes.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Hello people! I was able to update faster than last time, hurray!! Hope you'll like this chapter as well! Please review after reading, thank you! Sorry for not responding to your reviews this time, but nevertheless I want to thank all of you who reviewed the previous chapter!! Thanks a bunch!!

Cheers!

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words  
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: The day the real trial began**

-.-

What's that? A green whip? I guess there's no need to explain where it came from :). But the story's not over yet!! Look forward to the next chapter!

-.-

**Vocabulary:**

hanyou: half-demon  
haori: traditional japanese attire for the upper body for men

-.-.-.-

Posted: June 7 2007  
Last Edited: June 7 2007  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	12. The day the real trial began

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

The day the real trial began 

"Kagome!!" Sesshoumaru cried as he ran to her side.

As soon as he made sure she was still breathing he shot a death glare at Yura, who had jumped to a safer distance.

"You! Who the hell are you?!" she hissed, rubbing the burnt skin of her wrist.

Sesshoumaru raised a brow at her reaction and gazed at his hands. His eyes widened at the sharp nails and he quickly looked at his shoulder to see his furry white tail resting on it. _'My claws and tail are back!'_ he realized shocked. His eyes traveled to the tree where he ran from, only to find a pile of hair lying around its roots. His mind was so set on rescuing Kagome earlier that he didn't even realize he was melting the hair around him with his own hands. He looked at his clawed hands again. _'The wounds are gone as well…'_ he thought slightly in awe. _'I'm back…'_

His thoughts were interrupted when the comb user spoke again.

"Answer me!" she yelled angrily and sent a snake of hair towards him.

Without much effort, Sesshoumaru melted the incoming hair with his poison claws while holding Kagome close.

After making sure she was unharmed, he carefully placed her back onto the grass and stood up. _'Just wait a little longer Kagome.'_

"Hey wait a minute! Where did pretty face run off to?" cried Yura, her eyes darting around for the non-existent human. "Aw, and there I thought I could put his hair to good use!" Her eyes traveled to Sesshoumaru. "But of course, his hair could never surpass your beautiful silvery locks."

The dog demon scowled in disgust. Without hesitation, he began to walk into her direction.

"Say, you look familiar, demon. I think I've seen you somewhere before…" she mused with a finger on her chin. "Now where was it…?"

Without warning, Sesshoumaru launched himself at her with his claws first. He grunted in disappointment when the woman jumped away before he was able to rip off her head.

"Now I remember!" she said smartly. "You're Kaguya's beloved…oh my goodness, you're Sesshoumaru!!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. _'Kaguya's beloved?'_ he thought appalled. When did he allow her to call him that way? He quickly shook off the trivial thoughts. "Who sent you?" he inquired.

"Who sent me?" she rolled her eyes as though it was the silliest question in the world. "Someone who has a lot of land to give away, I told you before didn't- whoa!" she shrieked when the dog demon dashed towards her. Within seconds, Yura created a cocoon made of thick hair out of protection.

Sesshoumaru summoned his poisonous whip and sent if flying towards the wall of hair. Unsurprisingly, it melted everything single strand of hair it touched, creating an opening large enough for one individual. Without a moment to lose, he dashed into the dark envelop.

With great accuracy, he grabbed Yura's throat inside the darkness and dissolved the rest of the hair with his other hand.

Yura watched her collection being reduced to a sizzling pile of green. "My beautiful…hair…" she wailed in horror.

Sesshoumaru tightened his grip around her throat and bared his fangs. "Who sent you?" he asked again. "And I don't like to repeat myself thrice wench."

"K-Kaguya…" she squeaked with the limited oxygen provided to her. "She promised… me a piece of the Western Lands…if I killed her human servant for her."

_'I knew it.'_ Thought Sesshoumaru. He turned to Yura again, who seemed to have realized the gravity of her situation.

"P-please, spare my life…" she stammered with fear in her eyes.

"I told you, I would rip you apart if you dared to hurt Kagome," he replied coldly.

He saw her eyes widen in terror, but he didn't give her a chance to respond as he enveloped her entire body with his poison mist until it melted into thin air.

_'What a waste of time…'_ he thought bored, and flicked back some silvery strands. Without hesitation he turned and ran to Kagome's side. As he picked her up bridal style, he was shocked to see the amount of blood staining the grass at his feet. He painfully realized that even with his demonic speed back, he wouldn't be able to get her to the nearest village before she bled to death. _'Damn it! Am I just going to let her die like this?'_ he cursed inwardly.

Amidst the desperation that was almost too overwhelming, he knew there was only one person left whom he could turn to.

"Sage!!" he cried loudly into the skies. "Sage!! Show yourself! I know you're here!!"

His voice became angrier by the minute as he turned around in circles. "Damn you Sage! You didn't change me back into a demon just to see her die, did you?! Some fate-keeper you are!! I swear it, if you don't show up this instant, I will-"

"You'll what?" a familiar voice came from behind him.

Sesshoumaru tossed his eyes over his shoulder to see the Sage standing amidst the trees with a large plateau floating above the forest behind her. Her hair was still white as snow and her eyes still gray as he had remembered them. Her long white hair spilled over the creamy yellow robe she was wearing.

She gave him a condescending look. "You'll what? Now I'd really like to know," she repeated.

Sesshoumaru quickly showed her the unconscious Kagome in his arms. "You have to help her."

He was surprised when the Sage wrinkled her nose and covered the lower halve of her face with her sleeve.

"Ew, don't you just hate the stench of humans? Please get rid of her for me," she said.

The dog demon blinked. "What?"

"You heard me," she grunted. "Get rid of her. Throw her away or something. Anything that wouldn't involve me being near the girl."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "How can you say that?"

The Sage raised her head proudly. "Why can't I? We Sages are celestials, we don't need to bother ourselves with beings as low as humans. I am the keeper of Fate, not a doctor. I'd be very busy if every single human came to me whenever they are sick or injured. And since you're drenched in her blood, please refrain from coming any closer if you know what's good for you."

"Why you…" snarled Sesshoumaru. He was about to launch a clawed attack at her when she pointed her finger at him accusingly.

"What? You're going to kill me??" she retorted. "Think about it Sesshoumaru, do I not remind you of yourself just several months ago?"

Sesshoumaru's anger disappeared as he contemplated her words, and he realized she was right. _'I was just like that before I met Kagome…'_

"That's right," the Sage nodded after reading his thoughts again. "So if you're convinced that you have the right to kill me because of my ignorance, you ought to kill yourself first."

With a defeated expression, Sesshoumaru fell to his knees with Kagome still in his arms. "If you loathe me that much, do whatever you want with me. But leave her out of this, she doesn't deserve to die." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Did you not change me back because of that?"

After he said that, the Sage suddenly knelt down before him and took the girl from his arms. "You know, you only needed to say 'please'," she said and straightened up again. "But don't think too highly of yourself now. It's just that I have taken a liking to this human being that's all." With that, she leaped into the air towards the large plateau in the sky.

Sesshoumaru followed her and set food on a very nostalgic landscape. The large tree, the stone table and stools, it was just as he remembered them. He turned to the Sage, who was walking towards an empty spot near the edge of the surface. It shocked him when a small stone, flat-roofed house suddenly appeared before the Sage. The small establishment had one round window and an entrance with a large cloth shielding the interior.

_'She sleeps in there?'_ thought Sesshoumaru. He was surprised at how common the place looked like even though it belonged to a wise being.

The Sage stopped right before the entrance and chuckled. "Unlike demons or humans, I do not like to show my status and power through outer appearances." She tossed a look over her shoulder. "You wait here," she ordered and entered the house.

Sesshoumaru did as he was told and sat down on one of the stools next to the stone table. He eyed his bloodied claws and tail and put up a sad expression. Only a few weeks ago, he was all eager to finish off the human girl with his own hands. But now that her blood was literally dripping off his fingers, he found himself painfully wishing it wasn't hers.

He had changed.

He was shaken out of his reverie when he heard a pair of footsteps approaching him. It was the Sage again.

"How is she?" he inquired.

"I've cleaned and bandaged all of her wounds. She's fine now," she replied. "As I said, I'm not a healer, so she'll have to recover from the injuries by herself."

Sesshoumaru nodded understandingly and stood up. "Can I go see her?"

"Sure."

The dog demon was about halfway when he halted himself and turned around to her. His eyes dropped to his clawed hands and traveled back up to meet her gray orbs. "Does this mean you have forgiven me?" he asked after a brief silence.

Much to his surprise, a pitying look registered on the Sage's face as she answered his question. "I may have decided to overlook your sin, but the real trial has yet to begin, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough." She turned her back to him. "You and that girl are free to stay here for as long as you deem necessary. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

"Wait-" he called after her but her form vanished into a cloud of mist before he could finish.

_'What did she mean by that?'_ he thought puzzled. But he shrugged it off again and turned to the small house. _'I better go see Kagome.'_

Sesshoumaru widened his eyes in awe as soon as he went past the door opening. _'What the…?!'_

It was as thought he had entered a completely different dimension. The size of the interior was five times of what he saw on the outside. The walls were decorated with light sources he had never seen before and various types of animal fur could be seen on the snow white floor. Massive cabinets aligned themselves along one of the walls with books and scrolls filling the shelves. Against the wall from across the bookcases, stood a large bed where Kagome was sleeping on its silky sheets.

_'So much for not wanting to show off your status huh?'_ he mused as he approached the bedside.

She was wearing a white robe similar to the one the Sage wore earlier. Her skin was paler than normal due to the loss of blood, but she was no longer breathing heavily like before.

"Kagome," he whispered her name softly.

As if responding to his voice, Kagome slowly regained consciousness. Her hazel eyes drifted from the pale ceiling to the side until they met Sesshoumaru's pair of gold.

She slightly widened her eyes when she recognized the demonic form of the Western lord. _'Sesshoumaru?!'_ As if her body acted on its own, she scooted backward on the mattress with the covers pressed against her chest. '_When did he change back?' _Come to think of it, she did remember seeing a green whip before passing out. _'What if he lost his memories and humanity along with the human form?'_ she thought cautiously. She wasn't even sure if she could still trust him anymore now that he had changed back into a demon again. Her eyes darted to the dog demon when she saw him move towards her. "Stop! Don't come any closer!" she croaked.

And to her surprise, he didn't move an inch.

Kagome stared at his blank expression warily. "Are you…going to kill me?"

She watched his eyes soften and blinked confused at the small smile forming on his lips.

A small gasp escaped her lips when Sesshoumaru suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done so a long time ago, you idiot," he told her.

Kagome tensed a bit in his embrace. "So you're still…you?" she asked.

"Changing back into a demon doesn't mean I'll lose all memories of when I was human," he reassured her.

Calmed by his words, she leaned against his chest and they stayed like that for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry for letting you get hurt," he suddenly apologized.

"It's not your fault. And besides, I would've died if you didn't save me," said Kagome as she pulled back a little. "Which reminds me…how come you're a demon again?"

"Remember the Sage I told you about before? She changed me back," he explained. "She's also the one who took care of your wounds. This is her place."

Kagome widened her eyes in surprise. "Really? And she agreed to help me, just like that?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "If she didn't agree to help me, I would've had to do it by myself."

He watched in amusement how Kagome lowered her gaze to hide her flustered cheeks. He raised his hand and carefully pushed aside her bangs. And as he removed the last strands, he noticed an old scar just barely visible behind her hairline on her forehead. "Where did you get this scar?" he asked, gently running a thumb over its slightly uneven surface.

His eyes widened slightly when Kagome pulled her head away from his hand and covered the scar again with her bangs. "Kagome?"

Her eyes hardened as she replied, but she refused to look up at him. "I got this scar when I was just a little girl," she said after a while. "My parents were killed when demons invaded our hometown 15 years ago. My grandparents took me and fled to another village, where we were welcomed by the owners of a brothel. They were the only ones kind enough to offer us a place to stay for the night."

Sesshoumaru listened silently to her story as a strange feeling churned in his chest. _'Why does it sound so familiar…?'_

"They allowed us to stay in their storage room. I don't really know what exactly happened that night…" she continued and swallowed hard. "I was sleeping on the floor until my grandparents suddenly woke me and shoved me into one of the rice barrels. And then, I heard them scream. After that I only remember bits and pieces… I was found buried under the rubbles of the brothel afterwards by Kaguya's father. He told me that the brothel was burnt down by a group of soldiers and that I was the only survivor."

"It was me," Sesshoumaru eventually said after a long pause.

Kagome raised her head to meet his eyes, but they were averted to the floor next to the bed.

"I was the one behind the massacre on the brothel," he confessed.

"But you regret it now…you're sorry…right?" she responded, sounding more expectant than she had hoped for. She clasped his robe. "You hate humans. That's why you did it…right?"

Sesshoumaru finally turned to her. "That's not the whole story…" he said sadly. "The Sage under the moon, I know her because fifteen years ago I asked her about my soul mate. Of course, I didn't believe she would be able to predict my future, but I wanted to be sure that I would end up with a full-blood demoness. I wanted to restore our family honor, which my father had destroyed by wedding Inuyasha's mother."

"And she showed me, by connecting me and my soul mate with a red string at our ankles. So I followed it to its other end, until it led me to the brothel you spoke of."

Kagome's eyes narrowed in bewilderment. "W-what are you trying to tell me, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath. "I ordered my father's men to crush the brothel and all the people inside. I didn't want to follow my father's footsteps, so I decided to change my destiny. I refused to accept what I saw."

Her grip around his robe tightened. "What did you see?" she demanded tensely.

"Kagome," he told her. "The other end of the red string…was tied to your ankle that night."

"Are you telling me…that my grandparents died…because of me??" she stammered in disbelief. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she let go of him. "Why are you telling me all this…? Why…?"

"I'm sorry. I just…thought you had the right to know the truth," he said regretfully.

"What do you want me to do?" she snapped angrily. "Do you want me to tell you 'I forgive you' and get on with my life? Or do you want me to hate you for the rest of my life?? Or maybe you want me to hate myself for the rest of my life for not being able to hate you at all?!"

Sesshoumaru felt his heart sink at the sight of her upset expression. "Kagome, I…"

"Don't," she cut him off coldly. "Don't say another word…" She closed her eyes and turned away. "…leave…"

Without saying a word, he moved away from her and walked slowly towards the exit. He took one last look at her trembling form before pushing aside the cloth. Right after he passed the opening, he heard her break into heavy sobs.

A sharp pain entered his chest as he walked away. _'Is this…what she meant…by the real trial…?'_ he mused inwardly.

After reaching the border of the plateau and tossed a glance over his shoulder in the direction of the small house. _'Kagome…I'm so sorry…'_ With that, he made a giant leap into the dark sky.

As he felt the chilly wind grazing his cheeks, a million thoughts entered his mind. He was glad that he had failed to kill her when he had the chance. _'Perhaps it was all part of Fate's plan…'_ he thought and looked at the full moon hovering above him.

The moment he felt the forest floor beneath his feet again, he started to dash in a familiar direction. He had successfully defied Fate and pushed away Kagome, but there was no time to feel regret. There was something more important right now that required his attention.

After running a while, he suddenly caught a familiar scent coming from the opposite direction. He didn't have to guess who it was as an angry voice called out to him.

"Sesshoumaru!!"

He stopped in his tracks and waited until a certain red-robed hanyou appeared before him. "Inuyasha," he said a bit surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Kagome?" he demanded as his eyes darted around the dog demon.

Sesshoumaru raised a brow. "Your tracking skills are hopeless Inuyasha. Aren't you a bit slow on finding me?"

"Cut the crap Sesshoumaru," growled the hanyou. "You've got the smell of her blood all over you. Now where is she?"

"She's none of your concern," he said indifferently.

He was completely caught off guard when Inuyasha grabbed him by his collar and forced him against one of the trees behind him.

"Kagome _is_ definitely of my concern," he barked threateningly. "So spill it!"

A grin formed on Sesshoumaru's lips. "So you're the one who helped her escape after all."

"Don't play dumb Sesshoumaru! You knew all along it was me, that's why you went after her that night! The one in the courtyard was you, wasn't it?!"

"Yes," he replied coolly. "But if you had brought her deeper into the forest, I would never have caught up with her."

Inuyasha hit him hard in the face. "You bastard! You're a dog demon! She couldn't have escaped you in the first place!"

"If that's the case, it wouldn't have taken me this long," argued Sesshoumaru as a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lips to his chin. "I would've returned to the fortress a long time ago, wouldn't I?"

"Shut it Sesshoumaru, you wanted to torture her, that's why it took you so long. Or maybe you watched her being tortured by your beloved Kaguya's pawn?!" Inuyasha bared his fangs in anger. "Either way, I'll avenge Kagome! And then I'll finish off that sidekick of Kaguya's!!"

_'Kaguya huh?'_ Sesshoumaru thought and glanced down at the half-breed's hands. "Playtime's over," he muttered and raised his clawed hand.

With one swift swipe, he forced Inuyasha to back away from him.

"You bastard! Don't think you can get away with this!" barked Inuyasha upon landing on the grass again. "You will be punished for your crimes!"

"Why do you think I let you punch me?" said Sesshoumaru while wiping away the blood from his chin. "Did you really think you could hit your older brother with that level of skill of yours?"

"Why you-"

"Now if you're done accusing me and barking like a mad dog, I have more important things to do right now," he cut across him.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes when the dog demon turned away from him. "Don't turn your back on me Sesshoumaru! What do you mean by accusing you? You're the one who-" He didn't get to finish when Sesshoumaru suddenly dashed away.

"Hey wait!!" he cried and went after him. _'This is the direction of the fortress.'_ He thought slightly confused.

Eventually, he caught up with his half-brother. "When father returns, I'll have him strip you from your lordship and execute Kaguya for this!" he told him menacingly.

"So father isn't at the fortress at the moment…" Sesshoumaru mused aloud. "Good."

"Stop talking cryptic Sesshoumaru!" snapped Inuyasha impatiently. "What the hell are you going to do now?!"

The demon lord turned to him with a dead serious expression.

"I'm going to execute Kaguya myself."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:  
Hey all! Sorry for the late update and short chapter. I had planned to combine this chapter with the next one but I decided not to do it, because it would take a lot longer to update if I did. 

I hope you liked it nevertheless! Please review after reading to tell me what you think!

Lots of greets,

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words  
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

**Next chapter: (still a secret) **

-.-

Look forward to the next and final chapter of the Sage under the Moon!!

-.-.-.-

Posted: 5 July 2007  
Last Edited: 5 July 2007  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


	13. Unerring fate

**Sage under the Moon**

-by Kittymui-

**Unerring fate**

The moment he set foot in the courtyard, a familiar green individual stumbled out of the mansion towards him.

He was about to order him to find Kaguya, but he realized it was no longer necessary as his loyal servant vanished beneath the demoness' merciless feet.

"Oh Sesshoumaru-sama!" she shrieked relieved while stepping over Jaken's flat-out form. She crashed against his unarmored chest and faked some heart wrenching sobs. "I missed you so much!!"

"Oh please…" Sesshoumaru heard his half-brother sigh behind him, but paid him no attention. _'First things first.'_ He decided inwardly and plucked Kaguya's hands from his black robe.

"Eww, what's this?" Kaguya pulled a sickened face when she noticed the stains of blood, and covered her nose. "It reeks of that bitch." But then suddenly her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Which means…you killed her didn't you??" She happily jumped up and hugged him tight. "I knew you could do it! Sesshoumaru-sama, I-"

Before she could finish, Sesshoumaru grabbed her by her upper arms and threw her on the ground.

There was a shocked expression on her face when she pulled herself to her feet, but she quickly replaced it with a sheepish smile again. "Forgive me Sesshoumaru-sama, you didn't want me to smell like her, right? How silly of me for not thinking about that." She tilted her head and clasped her hands. "Please don't be angry. I promise I'll make up to you once you've gotten rid of those clothes."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath to sooth his impatience. How could he so blind to choose her as the lady of the West? It was a complete mystery.

"Kaguya," he said as composed as possible. "I met your friend."

He watched how his words made her tense up a little. "You mean Yura? I told her to leave me out of this. How could she betray me like that!" pouted Kaguya while stealing glances at the dog demon. "Did she tell you something…unusual?"

Sesshoumaru knew he was on the right track when he saw the demoness fumble with her hair nervously. "She told me of the bargain you made with her."

"Well, I couldn't let my beloved do the dirty work all by himself, so…I asked one of my best friends to help me out," she explained sheepishly. However, her attitude changed as she continued. "That wench refused to help me at first, even though she still owed me a biiiig favor," she huffed. "But when I told her that I had become the new lady, she went all greedy on me and demanded a piece of land in return!"

"And what did you do?"

Kaguya raised her chin. "I couldn't let her make fun of me! If I can't even decide what to do with these lands, she'd think I'm just a fake. So…"

"So…?" copied Sesshoumaru expectantly.

"We do have a lot of land, so I thought you wouldn't mind me giving away just a little piece of it," she said meekly.

"You WHAT?!" cried Inuyasha with wide eyes.

Sesshoumaru gestured for his brother to back down and looked at her sternly. "I'm very disappointed in you, Kaguya. You bargained a piece of our valuable land for the life of a mere servant."

Her face dropped almost instantly. "You're not angry, are you? It's just a piece of land! We can always get it back by force right? Kagome insulted us by fleeing the fortress, she deserves to die! And besides, Yura didn't come back to claim the land, so we didn't lose anything!"

"It still doesn't change the fact that you used our land as a bargaining item without the right to do so," argued Inuyasha. He tossed a glance at Jaken, who stood beside him. "Say Jaken, what's the punishment for doing something like that?"

"Hmm," the servant contemplated all too willingly. "I think it should be exile."

"Keh! Too lenient if you ask me," chipped the hanyou. "I would've preferred something…uglier…"

"Shut up half breed! Nobody asked you!" hissed Kaguya before clasping Sesshoumaru's thick robe. "Your brother and servant are planning to banish me for such a trivial thing. Please say something! I'm your mate and the lady of the West; they can't do anything to me without your consent, right?"

Without warning, Sesshoumaru grabbed her by her long dark hair and forced her to kneel down before him.

"Ow ow!! What are you doing Sesshoumaru-sama? You're hurting me!!" she winced in pain.

The dog demon responded by pushing aside the hair around neck, revealing her smooth skin. "Without being marked, you have no right to claim to be my mate or the lady of the West," he stated plainly.

She quickly got up to her feet and clung to his chest, again. "In that case, you'll just have to mark me right?" she said with a seductive tone. "You're not going to let them bully me, are you? If we do it right in front of them it'll surely shut them up."

He remained stoic as he watched her fingers making circles on his chest. He knew it was meant to arouse him, but it didn't. It never did, and never will. He felt ashamed for finding her, even if it was just for a split second, worthy as his mate.

An annoyed sigh escaped his lips as he once again, removed her annoying hands from his torso and pushed her away.

"That's not fair! We didn't lose anything, why are you still angry with me?!" she cried. "Are you just going to watch me being banished? You can't do this to me Sesshoumaru-sama. Please give me another chance!"

Her pleading tone made something snap inside the dog demon and the next thing he knew, he was strangling her with his claws around her fragile neck.

"That's right Sesshoumaru! Just like that!!" he heard the hanyou cheer him on and he turned to Kaguya with an icy glare. _'This will be the last time I hear my name coming out of your damned lips…'_ he decided inwardly and slowly sealed the last bit of space in her trachea.

"Sesshoumaru!!"

Sesshoumaru's grip loosened a little as he craned his neck to see his father entering the courtyard from the gates with Izayo right behind him.

"What do you think you are doing son?" asked InuTaisho as he stopped before them.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "As the lord of the West, I don't think there's a need to explain my actions to you."

"You are wrong Sesshoumaru," countered InuTaisho sternly. "You chose her yourself; therefore, you shall bear part of the responsibility for the crimes she commits."

"What are you implying?" muttered the dog demon, not liking what he was hearing.

"Sesshoumaru, I hereby strip you from your title as lord," he announced. "I will govern these lands for the time being until I think you are ready to inherit this lordship from me again. Are there any objections?"

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe what he was hearing, but then again, he couldn't care less for his status right now. He peered back at Kaguya, who was still trying to break free from his claws. "What are you planning to do with her?" he finally asked.

"I believe I am not obliged to tell you about my decisions," InuTaisho replied coolly. "I will inform you once I have decided on a suitable punishment. Does this answer satisfy you?"

"Hmph," Sesshoumaru scowled as he slowly let go of the demoness' neck and lowered his arm to his side. He was ready to leave when his father's voice suddenly halted him.

"I am not done talking to you Sesshoumaru," the demon lord said, forcing him to turn around again. "That blood staining your garment, it belongs to Kaguya's servant, am I correct?"

He furrowed his brows in annoyance. "Her name is Kagome, not Kaguya's servant," he snarled. "And whatever it is that you're assuming, I did not kill her."

InuTaisho raised a brow. "Then how can you explain the blood all over you?"

"I can't," said Sesshoumaru indifferently.

"Then at least tell me where the real perpetrator is."

He raised his clawed hand to eye-level and slightly grinned. "She is dead…by my hands." His eyes drifted to Kaguya's shocked expression.

"Y-you killed Yura?" she gasped.

"She was a nuisance," responded Sesshoumaru before shifting his gaze back to his father. "I believe I'm no longer needed here." With that, he turned around and walked away.

He was about halfway toward the main building when the demoness suddenly burst into a mad laughter.

"Hahaha…I knew it…I knew it!" she laughed with her arms holding her stomach. "You got that wench's blood all over you not because you killed her…it's because you were holding her right before she died!!"

All eyes turned to Sesshoumaru for a response, but none was given as he just stood there with his back facing them.

"Like father like son huh?" she continued. "No wonder you spared her life so many times when she was still inside the fortress. Gosh, you should have told me you know. I would've loved to see you take a human servant as your mate. Now wouldn't that be hilarious? The son who always wanted to restore the honor of his family ended up crushing it even more!"

She snorted at the thought. "Well, too bad she died huh?"

"Who said anything about dying?"

The grin on her lips dropped immediately. "W-what?"

"Kagome is still alive," Sesshoumaru said as he turned around to her.

The demoness' eyes widened. Her face dropped until her bangs shielded her eyes. "This…this is madness…you're all mad…" she muttered under her breath.

By the time she raised her face again, she had a glazed look in her eyes, as though she was on the brink of becoming insane. "You've all been bewitched by those wretched humans. There's no way Sesshoumaru-sama would choose a human over me…"

Sesshoumaru watched her delusional disposition in amusement. He was quite surprised when the demoness suddenly glared at Izayoi, who stood beside his father.

"It's all your fault bitch! You've been casting a spell on my beloved Sesshoumaru-sama together with that slut of a servant of mine, haven't you?!" she hissed angrily. "You lowly humans should all die!!"

"Watch your mouth Kaguya!" barked Inuyasha as he and InuTaisho placed themselves in front of Izayoi.

Kaguya chuckled evilly. "Now now don't panic. It's not her turn yet," she told them. "I think I'll go get that bitch's head first. And then I'll come back for yours."

Sesshoumaru clenched his fists in anger and readied himself to attack. In the corner of his eyes, he saw his father move too. _'Oh no you don't!'_ he thought and quickly dashed towards Kaguya. He grabbed her throat without fail and lifted her from the ground.

"As long as I'm alive, I will not let you or anyone else hurt Kagome," he snarled and squeezed the last breath of life out of her lungs before anyone could stop him.

He felt his anger ebb away as he watched her body becoming limp. But instead of relief or joy, it only left him a feeling of emptiness. He disposed of her remains with his poison mist and quickly turned away from the rest, praying that nobody saw the sadness that lingered in his eyes briefly.

_'Being human for a while must've made me soft.'_ He mused as he walked away.

After a while he heard Inuyasha's voice calling him from behind. "Hey wait up!"

_'Now what?'_ he thought annoyed when the hanyou caught up with him. "Have you come to tell me what kind of punishment father has decided for me?" he grumbled.

"Punishment? What are you talking about?" Inuyasha paused for a moment to think. "Oh you mean Kaguya? Don't be silly, she would've died anyway."

Sesshoumaru turned to him with a slightly surprised expression, to which the hanyou casually said: "Well, I haven't met anyone who lived after threatening my mother, have you? There's no way father would allow such atrocity towards her, and even if he did, I wouldn't."

"Just for the record, I didn't kill her because of Izayoi," stated Sesshoumaru, suddenly wondering why he felt the need to say that.

"I know," responded Inuyasha. "You did it for her, right?"

He diverted his eyes, mentally cursing himself for his big mouth.

"So…what are you going to do now?"

"Bathe and rest," Sesshoumaru answered dryly, fully aware what his brother really meant with the question.

"I mean…you didn't leave her out there all by herself, did you? Is she safe?" argued the hanyou. "What if she encounters demons or wild animals during her recovery?"

He knew Inuyasha was trying to force a confession out of him, but he was determined to ignore him for the rest of the walk to his quarters. His plan was successful so far, until…

"Hey Sesshoumaru, did I ever tell you that I proposed to her before?"

_'What..?'_

"And what if I told you that she had accepted my offer? She-"

The hanyou didn't get to finish as Sesshoumaru already slammed him against a nearby pillar that supported the roof. He growled at him with his fangs bared, but his younger brother simply responded with a smug look on his face. "You know, I never said I was talking about Kagome."

As if snapping out of a trance, the dog demon returned to his stoic self and backed away from his sibling.

"Part of the story is true actually," confessed Inuyasha as he rubbed the back of his shoulders. "But only the first part. I proposed to her because I knew you would kill her once you've become the lord. I mean, that was your reason for hurrying with the wedding ceremony, am I right? If she became my mate, I could protect her, but she turned down my offer. That's why I helped her escape."

Sesshoumaru looked away, but the regret in his eyes didn't escape the hanyou's keen eyes. "If you care for her that much, why aren't you going after her?"

_'If only it were that simple…'_ thought Sesshoumaru. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"It's none of your concern."

Inuyasha scowled. "If you won't, I will."

The dog demon glared daggers at him. "I'll kill you before you can do that," he growled.

"Look, I don't know what exactly happened between you and Kagome, but didn't you say you wouldn't let anyone hurt her?" argued the hanyou. "You're not going to claim her, but you're not letting anyone else have her as well?"

Sesshoumaru stopped as they reached his destination and opened the sliding doors leading to his room.

"What's wrong with you Sesshoumaru? You're acting like a spoiled brat!" snapped the hanyou. "You never used to be like this!"

"Leave me be," he tossed back and shut the panels behind him after passing the entrance.

"Hey don't you walk away from me! I'm not done yet!!" he heard him cry on the other side.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and allowed a sad expression to appear on his face.

_'Kagome…'_

-.-

The winter season came and went rather quietly and soon, the West was greeted by spring again. Colorful blossoms popped up in every corner of the fortress and the people inside seem to have forgotten about Kaguya and Kagome.

The whole commotion that began after their arrival was reduced to vague impressions where they were remembered as the demoness with the high-pitched voice and her servant, who excelled in tailoring.

However, a certain member of the dog demon family refused to let go of the past, which caused great trouble to a certain demon lord.

"I will not tolerate your disobedience any longer!! I have been patient all this time, but you cannot keep avoiding the inevitable!" he barked.

Izayoi, who stood beside him, placed a hand on his upper arm. "Please calm down milord." Her eyes reciprocated between the father and son. "I'm sure Sesshoumaru is only being careful, especially after Kaguya's incident."

"You think I didn't know that?" he replied slightly agitated, but placed his hand over hers as though to apologize for taking out his frustration on her. "But I cannot rule over these lands forever. I only took back the authority as a temporary measure until Sesshoumaru decides to select a new mate."

"I don't need one," retorted Sesshoumaru.

"Silence!!" yelled InuTaisho angrily. "This custom has been passed down for generations and no exceptions shall be made!" He turned his back to his son to show his intolerance against arguments. "Eligible candidates will arrive tomorrow and you WILL choose one of them to be the new lady of the West. And that is not a request," he told him gravely. "You are dismissed."

Sesshoumaru excused himself from his father's study and made his way to his own room.

"So…tomorrow's the big day huh?"

He glanced aside to see Inuyasha approaching. "You heard?"

The hanyou nodded. "It's hard not to with all that yelling."

They walked next to each other in silence for a short moment until Inuyasha spoke again. "What are you doing to do?"

"Nothing's going to change," replied Sesshoumaru. "And nothing will."

"But she might be-"

"I don't care."

"If you won't do it for father, then please do it for the people living in these lands," he reasoned.

Sesshoumaru's eyes hardened. "They don't concern me."

"Not even when Kagome's one of them?"

The dog demon stopped walking and contemplated his younger sibling's words.

"If she's alive somewhere, I'm sure she wouldn't want you to cause any suffering because of her," he continued. "And you don't want her to feel guilty right?"

"I'm not."

The hanyou let out a deep and heavy sigh. "Look, I'm not telling you what to do, just don't do things that might hurt Kagome okay?" he told him. "Because I won't forgive you if you do."

That said, Inuyasha left him alone and turned to walk into the opposite direction.

Sesshoumaru waited until his brother turned around the corner before sighing deeply himself. When he looked around, he realized he was standing near the garden his father built. _'This is where it all began…'_ he thought as his eyes drifted to the stone well where his mother always sat when she was still alive. He remembered how angry he was when he saw the girl drawing water from it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru didn't turn away from the garden as he recognized Rin's voice.

She quietly walked to stand beside him and craned her head to look at him. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you…still remember that girl you helped back then?" he asked after thinking a while.

"You mean Kagome? Yes I do remember her," she replied with a smile.

"Why?"

The servant pondered for a moment. "Hmm…I think it's because that was the first time you cared for another human being ever since you rescued me."

Sesshoumaru turned to her with a surprised expression.

"You know I was just as surprised back then as you are now," she laughed. "But there was something different about the way you looked when you told me to help her."

The dog demon shifted to the garden again.

"What happened to her?"

"She left," he responded with his thoughts elsewhere. Not wanting to discuss this topic any further, he turned and left his servant behind without a word.

-.-

The next day came faster than usual and Sesshoumaru stared at his reflection before him. He cast a sidelong glance at his usual attire that lay neatly folded on the floor and shifted back to the mirror.

Although the demon lord told him to wear his usual clothes and armor, he decided to wear the garments he bought during his little escapade.

Despite the harsh circumstances the garment had been through, it still looked very new, much to his surprise. The scent of her blood had become faint, but he still remembered it as though the stains will still there.

Sesshoumaru shrugged off the thoughts and stared at himself seriously. _'If I chose to put the past behind me, then I shall not look back.'_ He reminded himself.

That decided he left his room for the courtyard.

_'This feels just like last year…' _his mind wandered when he saw the crowd gathered in front of the main building.

"Ah there you are Sesshoumaru! Good, you are right on time!" he heard his father say. There was a disapproving look crossing the demon lord's features as he glanced at his choice of clothing, but it disappeared as soon as it came.

His eyes drifted to Inuyasha who stood beside his mother. They were giving him a supportive look.

_'I don't need any pity…'_ he thought and turned to the group of demonesses.

"Pleased to meet you, Sesshoumaru-sama," they greeted him in unison with a slight bow.

Sesshoumaru nodded in response and allowed his eyes to scan them one by one. But instead of focusing on the candidates, he found himself studying the human servants standing besides them.

He wasn't quite sure whether he should be disappointed or relieved when she wasn't one of them. _'I could've sworn it was her scent…'_ he thought confused. Was it just his imagination? Or did it come from his clothes? Perhaps her scent hasn't been completely washed out yet. The image of her face with moistened eyes resurfaced and he quickly turned away from the candidates. _'Damn it! Why now…?'_ he cursed inwardly.

_'I won't be hearing the end of this…but still, I can't…'_ Without finishing his thoughts, he brushed past his father towards the mansion.

"Sesshoumaru!!" the demon lord cried angrily.

"Forgive me, but as determined as I may be, I do not sense a worthy candidate today," he lied without stopping.

InuTaisho let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly announced the adjournment to the candidates. "I apologize for my son's behavior; I am afraid he has not made up his mind yet. I thank you all for coming today."

A wave of lament and whimpering emerged from the crowd until a voice stood out and cried.

"What?! This is ridiculous! We traveled days and nights to come here and now you're asking us to leave again?! You keep walking Sesshoumaru or you'll risk being purified by me!!"

The dog demon stopped walking. _'Purify me? Hmm…interesting…It's been a while since I had a challenge.'_ He mused and turned to the dissipating crowd. _'In that case…'_

He summoned his green whip and sent it towards the group.

The remaining candidates gasped in shock and jumped aside with their servants. Eventually, they revealed a young woman who stood in the back, dressed like a Shinto priestess.

"Stop it Sesshoumaru!!" the voice of Inuyasha cried.

"Kikyou!" someone cried and a hand shot out to grab the tip of the whip right before it hit its target.

Sesshoumaru blinked in surprise and darted his eyes to the one stopping the attack. _'That voice…'_ She was a bit shorter than the rest, which explained why he didn't notice her before. Her face was hidden behind the large hood of her long white robe.

The dog demon dismissed his whip and watched his half brother leap over him and land beside the robed person.

When all other candidates disappeared through the gates, the hanyou turned to Sesshoumaru with a scowl. "Damn it Sesshoumaru! I thought you said you'd protect her! Not hurt her!!"

"It's okay Inuyasha, I'm fine," the robed person said to him with her face still hidden. "He didn't know."

Sesshoumaru slightly widened his eyes in disbelief. _'Kagome…?'_

He tossed a look over his shoulder to see his father and Izayoi retreating to the mansion. _'Huh? What's going on?'_ he thought puzzled.

His attention shifted back to the three before him when Inuyasha spoke again.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

The robed person nodded. "Yeah," she said and took something from behind her robe. "Here you go."

A smile formed on his lips. "You remembered."

"Of course! I promised I would return it, didn't I?"

"Well, not exactly the way I hoped you would, but thanks," chuckled the hanyou and gladly received the item.

Before it disappeared into his brother's sleeve, Sesshoumaru realized it was a small pouch of coins. And he recognized it immediately. There was no mistaking it.

"Kagome," he called out to her.

She froze for a moment but turned to Inuyasha again. "Inuyasha, could you show Kikyou around for me? I'm sure she'd be interested in a guided tour around the fortress," she told him.

"A friend of my friend is also my friend," he replied with a smile before gazing at the priestess. "Shall we?"

The priestess turned to her companion. "Call me if something goes wrong okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

She glared at the hanyou. "And you too! Don't try anything stupid or I'll purify you in a second!" she threatened.

"Right," said Inuyasha half-convinced. He grabbed her by her sleeve and pulled her out of the courtyard.

"Hey! Stop that! I can walk by myself!!"

After the two of them disappeared into the main building, Sesshoumaru silently approached the robed one and stopped just an arm-length away from her.

"Hmph…such a big mouth for someone who couldn't deflect my whip," he finally uttered. As he said that, he gently took her hand in his and dropped his gaze.

"You were reckless," he said, staring at the dark red streak across her small palm.

"I had no other choice," she replied meekly. "Kikyou's not a fell-fledged priestess yet."

"Then she shouldn't have provoked me," he grumbled as a hint of guilt enveloped his voice. "She made me hurt you."

"Would you have noticed us if she didn't?"

He fell silent.

A smile formed on her darkened features. "Didn't think so."

Sesshoumaru let go of her hand and reached for her hood. "What would you do if I didn't?" he asked as he pulled it back and took a good look at her face. She was just as the last time he saw her, although she looked much healthier now than when she was with him. Which was relieving, but it also made him a bit sad.

"I would try," Kagome answered without thinking. "Try and keep trying…as long as this human body still moves, I will keep coming here…"

The dog demon regarded her in silence, but eventually allowed a smirk to form on his lips and captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Who said you'd qualify?" he said.

She stuck up her nose and grinned. "Your brother and InuTaisho-sama," she tossed back.

Sesshoumaru blinked. "They knew?"

"Of course they did!" she huffed. "You didn't think I could pass these gates safely with those demonesses around me, did you?"

"I'd rip them apart if they dare to touch you," he growled.

Her lips curled up at his protective words, but quickly went flat again. "Don't change the subject!" she complained. "Are you saying that I don't qualify as the lady of the West?"

"I didn't say you didn't qualify," defended Sesshoumaru playfully.

"But you didn't say I did either!" snapped Kagome and turned her back to him. "I'm hurt! And when I'm hurt, I can't think clearly. And when I'm like that, I might do something I'd regret!"

Sesshoumaru closed the gap between them instinctively. She didn't sound as serious as she said she was, but still, he wouldn't take any chances. "Kagome?"

He was taken by surprise when she turned around, tiptoed and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

His eyes remained wide after she pulled back.

She looked at him as though she was trying to find something, but a disappointed expression registered on her face. "See? I told you I'd regret it."

But before she could turn away from him again, Sesshoumaru pulled her into his arms and locked her lips with his again.

Kagome struggled under his grip at first, but as the kiss deepened, she found herself unable to resist the temptation and started to kiss him back.

Her legs became weak when he finally pulled away. If it weren't for his arms securing her waist, she would've surely fallen to her knees right now.

"Okay…I'm taking back what I said before…" she said gasping for air. She lifted her gaze to see a serious expression on his face. "Sesshoumaru?"

"After all that I've done to you…why?" he asked. "Why do you still return to me?"

"All these years, my life had been revolving around making you pay for what you did. I thought I would be happier if I killed you. But until several months ago, I realized my conviction had changed," she confessed.

"If I killed you, I would regret it for the rest of my life…because…" Kagome gazed up into his gold-amber orbs. "Because I realized how much I've fallen in love with you."

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she continued. "That's why…I'd keep trying…until I qualify to-"

She was cut off when Sesshoumaru landed his forehead on hers and smiled genuinely.

"You will always qualify to become my mate Kagome," he told her with a gentle voice as he dried her tears with his thumbs.

"Because this Sesshoumaru has fallen for you as well."

THE END

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: 

This is it! After one year and one and a half month, I've finally finished this rather short story. Hahaha, a lot have happened in the past year so there's no helping it. I've enjoyed writing this story and I hope you all have enjoyed reading it! Please review after reading to tell me what you think okay? Thanks!

Oh and to be honest with you, I wasn't planning on killing Kaguya at first, but since 90 of the reviewers were looking forward to it, I couldn't stay merciful at the end haha.

As for my next story, I already have pieces of ideas lingering around in my head. As usual, there will be a break before I start posting the first chapter. I'm nearing the end of my graduation assignment (yup that's the reason why I've been busy) and if all goes well I can get my master degree on the 3rd of October. After that I'll be visiting my sister in Vancouver for 3 weeks :). My loooong deserved holiday!!

I sure hope I will be hearing from you again in my next adventure! Since you've all been very supportive, I'll let you in on a small secret about my next story. It's a Bankotsu and Kagome pairing! Please look forward to it!

Cheers!

Kittymui

_'Italic'_: thought  
"...": spoken words  
-.-.-.-: time gap  
CAPSLOCKED WORDS: noises

-.-.-.-

Posted: 22 July 2007  
Last Edited: 22 July 2007  
Spelling check: YES

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Inuyasha characters or plot. Nor do I own anything of the Chinese myth/fairytale I'm basing my story on. If there's anything similar between my story and that of another author or artist, I swear sincerely that I have no intention of copying or stealing anything!


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